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SF 487 
P4 
; opy 1 



i \ow To Raise 




Practical Book 



ONPERKINS 



HOW TO RAISE 

PROFITABLE 
POULTRY 



£y G N. PERKINS 

MIDLAND PARK, N. J. 













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©CI.A343551 



COPYRIGHT 1913. 
In the United States and Great Britain. 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



CONTENTS 



Chapter 

1. The Occupation. 

2. The Man — General Requisites for Success. 

3. Choosing the Breed. 

4. The Location and Construction of the Coops. 

5. The Start— When and How Made. 

6. Hatching the Chicks. 

7. Brooding. 

8. Feeding the Chicks — 

Complete Daily Schedule and Formulas. 

9. How to Prevent Chick Mortality — White Diarrhoea. 

10. Growing the Young Stock — Complete Formulas. 

11. Scientific Feeding for Eggs. 

Complete Formulas — Balanced Rations. 

12. How to Get a Maximum Egg Yield in Winter. 

13. Marketing Poultry Products at Top-Notch Prices. 

14. Selecting and Mating the Breeders. 

15. How to get Fertile and Hatchable Eggs. 

16. How to Insure and Assist an Early Molt. 

17. The Prevention of Disease. 

18. "Free" Poultry Foods. 

19. How to Grow Sprouted Oats. 

20. A Word of Encouragement. 



CHAPTER I. 
THE OCCUPATION. 

All those who engage in the poultry business may be classed 
under three headings, according to the principal motive that actu- 
ates them in taking up the care of chickens. The first clarifica- 
tion would include all those who keep chickens because they desire 
recreation; or this may be termed their "'hobby." The second clas- 
sification includes those who are tired of paying high prices for 
poultry, meat and eggs and desire to keep sufficient fowls to supply 
these products for their own table consumption. Then there are 
under the third heading, all the legion of persons who are tired 
of the ordinary business grind, and city life, and who desire to en- 
ter some occupation that will be congenial and, at the same time, 
remunerative. It is true that there are some persons who are in- 
flamed by reports of exaggerated profits that have been made by 

w, and who think that the poultry business is the long-looked- 
for industry with "millions in it," to be made with little or no 
effort, but this class of persons will not be discussed here. The 
few who do start under this misapprehension are usually the ones 
that add only to the list of failures. 

There are many professional men who are sufficiently well 
lixed with this world's goods not to feel the lure of (he profit that 
may be derived from keeping chickens and who are not obliged to 
depend on the returns to pay for the actual expenses incurred, who 
desire to take up some "hobby" for the recreation it will afford 
them. Physicians, lawyers, ministers, and all who have a great 
deal of mental work and strain, find in the poultry industry the 
necessary recreation, and change from mental to physical," and 
from indoor to outdoor labor. Persons who are unable to gel out 
of doors but an hour or two during the day have found that the 
care of a few chickens will give them sufficient exercise to alle- 
viate the depressed feeling of being confined all da In- 
valids and others who may be incapacitated for work in some Hi 
are aide to care for poultry without overtaxing their strength. As 
a hobby, keeping chickens affords the double satisfaction of pleas- 
ing recreation and healthful occupation. 

It makes little or no differeni e whether the present high prices 
for general food products are caused by an excess of demand over 
supply, or the methods of the cold-storage operators, the increas- 
ing population or any other cause, the result— high prices — is an 
actuality. There are a great many persons of moderate means 
who would like to have on their table poultry products, but who 
are unable to pay the prices asked. If such persons have some 
available space in their yard, they quickly come to the conclusion 
that it would be feasible, a-- well as economical, to raise chickens 
themselves and save the various profits that are made by the "mid- 
dle men." Hence, some fowls are purchased, coops are built and 
the miniature poultry plant spring> into existence. 



Under the present business methods, and the keen competition 
lhat is everywhere apparent in the mercantile world, the man who 
is not a specialist of an exceptionally high order, or an expert, 
becomes merely a cog in a big wheel. His individuality is almost 
entirely lost. He goes to his daily work and if, for any reason, 
he is unable to keep up with the increasing demands, he either 
drops out or is dropped, and another immediately takes his place. 
It is only with an ever-increasing struggle that one can keep up 
with tl ating daily "grind" of business life. Many a man 

longs for the time when he can take things a little easier, but usu- 
ally this opportunity seems far off. There are times innumerable 
when every business man (and particularly those who live in the 
a ill soliloquize in this way: "I'm so tired of the hurry and 
id nervous excitement of business life. Oh, if I could only 
get away somewhere, where I would not have to rush and drive 
every moment; where J would not lie hemmed in by four brick 
wall-: where 1 could breathe pure air and enjoy the beauties of 
nature, and live an ordinary, sensible and peaceable life!" It is at 
such times (and they come frequently to all) that one casts long- 
ing glances about him for an occupation that will afford a fair 
all he is getting at the time — and which will allow him to 
lewhat independent — to be a .Man. To such, the poultry 
business appeals very strongly. And well it may. 

There is a living in poultry. There is more than a living, if one 
is willing to give the same time and energy and brains and brawn to 
tin's business that he would devote to any other line to make a success 
of it. We live in a day of specialists, and those who expect to get a 
as well as a living, from the poultry business must specialize this 
work. This necessitates study, care, and application to the minor de- 
tails that go to make up the business as a whole. Chickens that are 
neglected or that are expected to care for themselves will lay about 
enough eggs in a year to pay only for the food they consume, and little 
net profit can be expected from them. But fowls that are well cared 
for will always pay a handsome dividend on the investment. 

The natural question propounded by those not familiar with the 
inner details of the business is: "How much net profit can lie derived 
hen in a year?" There are so many different matters that con- 
trol the amount of profit made that it is impossible to state any exact 
amount. No two flocks will return exactly the same profit. The care. 
feed, attention, housing, and quality of the birds, the marketing of 
the products, the amount of help necessary to operate the plant, the 
success in hatching and raising the chicks, the sale of stock, etc. — these, 
and innumerable other things, all govern the profit one can make. 

When one develops a heavy-laying strain of fowls, or gets the 

''fancier's" fever, and builds up a strain of exhibition birds, the net 

will increase with remarkable rapidity. The sale of hatching 

a ild chicks, at prices considerably in advance of those 

ing eggs, of course, will also enlarge the receipts and 

net profits. A- has been said, there are so many things entering into 

the matter that it is very difficult to state any exacl ami. nut that may 

be realized from a flock of hens. 

iewpoint of health, the poultry business is particularly 
inviting. The exercise one takes, in caring for the fowls, outdoors, 
under the blue skies, expanding the lungs and breathing in God's own 
free, pure air, will make rich, red blood to flow vigorously through 
i -lie's veins; it will develop good muscle and build a constitution of 
iron: it will make a sicl< man health} and a well man healthier. To 
who love nature, the poultry business affords an excellent opp u 



(ill 



tunity to get into the open air and sunshine, on cold and warm, 
pleasant and unpleasant days, and one has an excellent chance to see 
Nature from many different viewpoints and to appreciate and enjoj her 
many changing phases and unsurpassed beauties. 

Though the term "man" is used in this book, it should be under- 
stood that this includes both the masculine and feminine genders. It 
would lie quite untrue, as well as unjust, to say that only men are 
engaged in the poultry business, for there are numberless women suc- 
cessfully carrying on this industry, both with and without the aid of 
men. It is hard to explain why women do not come to the fore and 
claim the important place in the poultry world to which they are en- 
titled, unless it is because, in their modesty, they hide their light under 
a basket. Generally, women do not figure prominently in the business 
side of the poultry plant, though many are quite capable of tin-, too; 
but they far excel men in their care of, and chances of success with, 
chickens. Some one has said that patience is "seldom in a woman," 
but if the truth were told, in displaying this virtue with live stock (and 
young stock, in particular), women have us poor men "beaten 
frazzle." Alan in his "bigness" does not see the little need- ami 
small necessities that will add much to the comfort of young -lock, 
yet a woman will perceive such things instantly. And possessing the 
indispensable patience to "fuss" with them, women will do the many 
little things that will help the little chicks over the rougher places in 
their live-, therein- largely decreasing the great loss from this source 
and increasing the chances of chicks living. And this care and love 
for the little "tender puff-balls grows as the chicks grow, and instead 
of tiring of the game' as quickly as a man, a woman will give as much 
attention to the grown fowls as when they were smaller. Woman is 
the indispensable helpmate of man. and in no place is this more clearly 
shown than on the poultry plant. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MAN: GENERAL REQUISITES FOR SUCCESS. 

The question is frequently asked: "1 have $1,000 capital, and 
would like to know if this would be sufficient to start in the chicken 
business, and what are the chances of my making a living from it?' 
There is very little possibility of giving a definite answer to this 
inquiry. To cover the whole matter at once, entirely and concisely, the 
reply might be given: "It all depends on THE MAX": or, to make 
it a little more pointed : "It all depends on YOU'" After all, when 
everything is sifted down, one finds it isn't a business that ma 
success of itself or of the man engaged in it: but it is the man. with 
his mind, and will-power, and energy, and good judgment, etc.. etc.. 
that is the foundation on which the success is built. 

It is a greatly mistaken idea that "anybody can keep chickens." 
The man who goes into the poultry business needs just as much brains, 
business sagacity, etc., as is necessary to succeed in any commercial or 
mercantile line." There are just as serious problems to deal with, just 
as manv trials, disappointments, etc.. to contend with, just as much 
energy and push needed, just as much good judgment necessary, and 
just as much honesty and principle to be used in the poultry business 
as in any other kind of business. It isn't, by any means, a catch-all 
business "for any old sort ^>i a person to go into and get an easy living 
from. People wdio have made a failure in almost everything els 
have tried may succeed in the poultry business, but their chances are 
only about one in one hundred. 



A prime requisite of the poultryman is an innate love of animals 
in general and chickens in particular. The man who loves his fowls 
will do everything in his power to add to their comfort, and he is 
justly rewarded by them for his pains. There is all the difference in 
tlie world between fowls that are well kept and well cared for and 
senilis that have to take care of themselves. Any dock of chickens will 
quickly reflect the good care and attention that may be given tliem, 
and a man who really loves his fowls cannot be cruel (even by neg- 
lect) and permit his birds to suffer through any fault of his. A man's 
r\ is said to lie his mirror — it reflects better and more truly his 
• ward his fowls than anything else he may say or do. With 
a love of animals frequently goes a love of Nature and outdoor life, 
and these two combine excellently in the chicken business. The work 
of caring for the fowls is largely out of doors, and those who dislike 
to hi "penned up" in an office or who dislike indoor work will find 
much solid satisfaction in beiii" able to work outside with poultry, 

accomplish anything in the poultry business one needs a great 
severance and stick-to-itiveness. Cast your eve over the 
list of leading poultrymen and you will note that all have been in 
the busini ears. It takes time to learn the ins and outs of 

this business, with its many different phases and branches. A steady- 
going "plodder" will accomplish more in the long run by his slow but 
sure way of fining things than the man who works like a Trojan for 
and then does nothing for a longer while. The poultry busi- 
is not one of minutes or hours hut a 365-day Job every year (some 
306!), and it takes a pretty steady disposition to stand the pull, 
sure progress, and though some give way, the fittest 
survive. And in this respect the poultry business may be classed with 
all others: "Eternal vigilance is the price of succes 

thods are not in place on the poultry plant; if fol- 

long enough, they positively insure failure. "That's good 

and "Oh, that'll do!" are nol slogans the poultryman should 

f he wants to lie cl mg the leaders. It requires bright, 

up-to-date methods to make a success of any business, and tin lazy 

man will not find his sinecure in keeping chickens. 

Pali' d an actual necessity for any one 

cpects to make the most of his poultry. The business in general 

etition of small details, day after day. If one cannot 

small duty at a time and be willing to work 

at that until lished, be bad better think twice before starting in 

-mess. \nd. further, this same duty will probably have to be 

and the next day, and perhaps every day throughout 

the year. Without an infinite amount of patience these recurring duties 

lecome irksome and will then be neglected, with sad results. Lest 

somt'oi itened by these remarks, let it he said that ordinarily 

. line of business pursues the same routine day after 

day. But it take- a larger bump of patience to respect the demands 

mIi creatures than it does to obey the sharp commands of an 

employer who is backed with the power to "hire and lire." 

i "Jack of all trades" to a certain extent will find 
daily u ipabilities. While there are certain things that one 

can ha by hiring outside labor, the net profit at the end of 

the ye; c just that much less. If one can handle a saw and a 

hamme m being an experienced carpenter and joiner, 

many a doll aved by being able to accomplish necessary 

aid. It is expensive to hire labor to build coops, 
ami to saw even board and drive every nail needed. If one can 
"push a paint brush." this will also save many a dollar, both in the 
co>t of labor ami preservation of the building. These and other sim- 



ilar capabilities, while not so absolutely essential as to prevent one 
from making a success of the business if he does not possess such 
advantages, will keep the expense account down and thereby materially 
aid in swelling the profits. 



CHAPTER III. 

CHOOSING THE BREED 

When one has definitely decided to keep chickens, the first thing 
thai should be done is to decide just what is the exact object in view. 
When this matter is settled, it will also indicate, to a large extent, the 
breed of fowls thai is to be kept. If the fowls are to be kept as a 
hobby and for the pleasure and amusement that one will get from 
caring for them, the breed that suits the fancy of the individual will 
be the only breed to choose. As the monetary returns that are re- 
ceived under this plan are secondary to all else, no consideration need 
be given the matter of whether the birds will be an expense or a 
source of revenue. 

In the case of keeping fowls to supply meat and eggs for 
table, the main thing to be considered is to get a general purpose fowl. 
By this is meant a breed of fowls that will lay a fair number of eggs 
during the year, and when the bird's usefulness in this respect is 
over, to have a fowl that po ufneient meat to make 

meal for an average family. Birds of this type will also usually 
produce broilers for home consumption that can be used at a com- 
paratively early date and yet be of fair size. If eggs for home con- 
sumption are desired primarily, it would be best to choose some of 
the lighter breeds that are noted for their prolific egg production. 

If one is starting to keep chickens with the ultimate idea of en- 
larging the plant until it is of sufficient size to support one or more 
persons, the choosing of the breed will require much thought and a 
great deal of care. To make the mistake of choosing a breed that 
later on will prove to be unavailable for the business needs or the 
demands of the market, will mean the loss of much valuable time and 
money. To change from one breed to another is also very expensive 
and troublesome. It is, of course, very hard for the beginner, without 
any previous experience, to know just what breed would he lies) to 
suit future conditions. There are, however, certain fundamental con- 
ditions that will disclose to the careful thinker the route he must 
follow, and what will be best under existing circumstances. 

There are three branches of the poultry business under which all 
the breeds of poultry may be classed, as follows : Eggs, meat, broilers. 
Certain breeds are egg producers; others are better for the production 
of meat for market purposes, and still other breeds should be chosen 
if one is going into the broiler business. When it is said that the 
principal branch of the business followed is the production of eggs, 
this does not preclude absolutely the production of meat or the sale 
of broilers. It simply indicates that it is this particular branch of the 
business that is featured, and the other things are of secondary con- 
sideration. This same idea applies to all the branches of the business. 

The principal thing that should govern the decision of those who 
have had no previous experience in the matter is the market conditions. 
The demands of the market to which one will cater should be given 
preponderance over all else. This will make the disposal of the prod- 
ucts far easier than if other things are given preference, for instance, 



if one is near n markel that demands and can consume an enormous 
Lrictly fresh eggs, and will pay remunerative prices for 
them, it would be very poor judgment to produce broilers principally 
And where the prices and demand for broilers are greater than can be 
realized from the production of eating eggs, to follow the latter 
branch of the business would be wasting one's ammunition. 

Tt is quiti matter to ascertain the preferences of the local 

markets, and with tin's in mind the choice of a breed is narrowed down 
very much. If, for instance, one finds that the market to which he 
will c; iter demand for eating eggs than for all other 

products of the business, the choice of a breed would naturally fall 
among rieties which produce a maximum number of eggs in a 

year, regardless i (lie fowl weighs three or six pounds. As 

Is which produce about the same number of 
irther demands of the market should be 
I into This may disclose the fact that there is a premium paid 
a certain weii In the case of the New York 

a premium of five cents a dozen is paid for white-shelled eggs. 
! Boston the brown-shelled egg is preferred. Some- 
: "Whal nts? Too small to notice." But where 

ept, that shell out fifteen ;'gs per hen 

means jusl fifteen hundred ''"liars extra re- 
ceived added to the profit side of the ledger. 

Tn 1 re sold by weight it would be rather 

foolish p a breed thai lays nineteen-oun 

the do/en. when another breed will lay eggs weighing twenty-four to 
twenty-eighl ounces to the dozen on about the same quanti 

i-d. These little things are whal count in (lie long run. and 
:it before a starl is made in many cases will prevent 
ultimate faih 

Secondarily, the choice of the breed governed 1>\ the pref- 

of the individual. This preference, however, should never be 

greater weight than the demands of the market. After it is 

found thai there are a number of breeds that will fulfil the demands 

market, the particular breed that com, to suiting the 

lividual wall be the best breed to choose <hher things 

it is undoubtedly true that greater success will he achieved 

breed suits one's tastes and preferences than wdten it 

is a breed in which keen interest is lacking. 

ft should lie the object of the beginner, before finally deciding on 
eed or variety upon which he will base his chances of success or 
failure, to gain as much knowledge of the various well-known breeds 
of poultry as possible. Numerous hooks can he easilj procured which 
fully describe, in an unbiased way, the merits of the different breeds. 
From such at least a decided preference will quickly be 

formed. At ibis point it would be well for the novice to go to one or 
poultrymen who have been sufficiently long in the business to 
have I rst glamour and excitement which might bias their 

opinion, and who have had sufficient practical experience to enable 
them to give a proper decision in the matter. Tell them of your tastes 
and thi m have formed; of the demands of your market, 

and all the i aces in the matter, and ask for an unbiased opin- 

ion. In mi oultryman will be glad to give his best judg- 

ment. r< articular breed he keeps. Then by combining 

one's pn with the advice received from a practical poultryman, 

and taking into consideration all local conditions, it should be a com- 
paratively > i tor an) decide definitely on the breed 

lo 



( HAPTER IV. 

THE LOCATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE 
COOPS. 

When one starts keeping poultry much careful consideration should 
be given the matter of the location of the plant. If the beginner would 
save himself considerable work and perhaps much worry later on, he 
would plan ahead definitely where his coops are to be located. This 
is one item which should be clearly decided before any stock is bought 
or orders placed. 

A practical poultryman, who has achieved considerable success. 
when asked how he was able to incorporate so many satisfactory de- 
tails in a big coop he had recently built, replied : "I was building that 
coop for six months before I drove a nail!" In consequence, there are 
no "mistakes," and the building is well-nigh perfect for the use for 
which it was designed. 

With small coops there is not a great deal of labor to shift them 
around when it is desired to make a change, but why not take into 
account as many possibilities and contingencies as one can beforehand, 
rather than to leave it all to experiment or "chance"? It may be a 
decidedly costly experience to find a lot of chicks drowned some day 
after a heavy rain, when a little study of the situation would have 
disclosed the fact that the brooder coop was being placed in a hollow. 

Location. 

Of course, the ground that is available will control the situation 
somewhat and perhaps even the size or number of coops. But whether 
much or little ground may be had, one should plan along a definite 
line — both literally and figuratively speaking. Nothing is mope indica- 
tive of a person's disposition than his poultry plant. If one is lazy, 
shiftless, careless, or slovenly, it will show at once on his place. If, 
on the contrary, care, attention to details, neatness, etc., are in a per- 
son's makeup, these traits will also make their appearance in a well- 
kept, clean poultry place. The coops will all be laid out in line and 
harmonious in their entirety. As the flock is enlarged, and new coops 
are added, they will be so placed as to conform to the general scheme 
of the place. Such a poultry plant is as much a pleasure to look at as 
it is satisfying to the one who planned it. 

One of the most important elements entering into the location of 
a plant, aside from the ground available, is the character of the soil. 
Sandy or gravelly soil is the best that can be had for poultry, as it 
absorbs the droppings quickly, allows the rain to filter away rapidly, 
and will remain sweet longer than a heavier soil. Where a soil is in- 
clined to be of a clay nature, it can he lightened by first loosening it 
and then introducing sand, ashes, or the like. 

After the character of the soil is determined, one should look 
sharply to the grading. The higher the general level of the plant the 
better, but in any case the coops should never be placed on very low- 
ground, or in a hollow. The ground in the immediate vicinity of each 
coop should be raised, if necessary, by filling in, and then graded off 
in all directions. Ground which slopes one way, preferably to the 
south or east, makes a satisfactory place on which to keep poultry, 
but care should be used not to set a coop where it may be in the direct 

11 



course of water that runs ofl aftei a sudden downpour. By looking 
well int- these important points before locating the coops, 

one will prevent dampness, perhaps even saving his chickens from 
fate. 

h is important to have as much sunshine enter the coops, in winter 
especially, as possihle. Sunshine is one of the greatest purifiers and 
disinfectants known, and, aside from this valuable service, produces a 
warmth so necessar} to and so appreciated by laying hens. Coops 
with southern or southeastern exposure will receive a maximum amount 
of sunshine, and if the glass in the coop is properly placed the chickens 
can enjoy a sun bath the greater pari of every pleasant day. 

In laying out a new poultry plant take into consideration the mat- 
ter of accessibility. Thai is, the entire flock should he housed so that 
the attendant can gel to each ami every house in the least space of 
mI with the smallest amount of walking possible. This is not a 
proposition. Some day when a wand or rain storm comes 
up suddenly, and things must he made "snug itt a jiffy," if one's coops 
are easily reached, serious loss may he averted. l'n the contrary, lack 
of attention may he fostered by a combination of a protracted spell oi 
rainy weather and inaccessible coops. 

much protection from high winds and driving rams should lie 
given the coops as circumstances will permit. This can he accompl 
by locating the coops near heavy shrubbery, on the "lee side" of a 
or barn, or beneath tr< 

The advent of young stock maj bring with it the discovery thai no 
space has been allowed for the brooding and raising of the chicks. 
This short-sightedness sometimes necessitates the rearrangement oi 
practically the entire plant. While fifty or a hundred chicks may be 
kept in a comparatively small space the first week or two, they grow 
rapidly and very soon need larger quarters. These must be provided, 
and fortunate, indeed, is he who has planned ahead far enough to 
make allowances for the natural expanding of his flock. 

A consideration which some may have to take into account is that 
of protection from thieves. It seems that some localities are more 
subject to depredations from these pests than others. Where such is 
the case, one should take full precautions to guard against loss. While 
each person can best judge what to do according to his local condi- 
tions, one general feature is important: the plant should he so 
located that practically every part of it is in full view all the time. 
Then one should in various other ways he fully prepared to give any 
marauders a "perfectly good reception." Where possible it will be 
found very advantageous to have a bright light, either burning all night 
or so arranged that it can be flashed on at any time to illuminate the 
entire place, thus making detection of a thief a comparatively easj 
matter. 



Construction — Size and Style. 

The size of the coops, and the number, will depend, first, on the 
amount of capital one decides to put into the business, and, second, on 
the amount of ground available. A long continuous house costs less 
to build than a number of smaller, separate coops. It is also cheaper 
to build a house that is approximately square, or in square units, than 
it i> to build a loan, narrow house. Thus, a house that is sixteen feet 
square would cost less t<> build than one that is six feet wide and 
about forty-three feet long, though the square feet of floor surface in 
each would he the same. 

12 



In constructing a poultry house, the size should be made as large 
as one can possibly afford at the time, even though part of the hoi 
may not be necessary for immediate requirements. As the busnv 
expands (and in nine cases out of ten it will expand), a large-sized 
house will obviate the necessity of continually building more coops, 
taking valuable time and labor when perhaps it can be ill-afforded. 

In estimating the size of coop one will need, it is safe to figure to 
give each fowl three square feet of floor area in coops smaller than 
eight by (en feet, and two and a half square feet per fowl in larger 
sized i op finis, a coop eight by ten would house about twenty-five 
fowls, while a building twelve feet wide and forty-eight feet long 
would comfortably house two hundred fowls or more. The lighter, 
smaller breeds will need quite as many square feet of floor spaa 
the heavier birds because the former are more active. 

All poultry houses should face either south or east, preferably the 
former. This will permit a maximum amount of sunshine to enter 
the coops during the greater part of the day. 

The style of house will depend on the capabilities of the builder 
primarily, and on the amount of money one figures to expend. A one- 
span roof — or, as it is usually called, a "shed" roof — is by far the 
easiest type of building to construct. For a poultry house it has the 
very important advantage of affording a high front, permitting the 
sun's rays to reach farthest back into the coop to purify the ground 
and warm the interior. There will be only one line of eaves-trough 
necessary, as all the rain water is thrown to the rear, and this also 
keeps the front of the building dry. The pitch of the average one-span 
roof need not be much over one-quarter — that is, one foot rise in four 
feet of width. 

The combination roof (which is usually about two-thirds shed style 
and one-third gable) and the gable roof are both exceedingly difficult 
for an inexperienced person to build. The advantages are so few that 
the. c .e roofs are in the minority on the a\ ultry plant. If one 

is to have the coops constructed by experienced carpenters, however, 
either of these roofs can be chosen if it is the preference of the indi- 
vidual and will prove fairly satisfactory for most purposes. 

The height of the sides of the building will depend on the style 
of root. The principal factor to be considered is to afford sufficient 
head room, otherwise keeping the roof as low as possible. A high rool 
creates too much unnecessary air space and will make a cold coop in 
winter. The rear wall should lie as low as is consistent with needed 
head room, thus minimizing the northern vertical exposure and cheap- 
ening the cost of both lumber and construction. When figuring the 
height of the rear wall, it should be remembered that it need not be 
quite the necessary height to walk under, as the dropping boards will 
prevent one from getting within three or four feet of the wall. The 
rear wall, and the end exposed to the worst weather, should be cov- 
ered with double matched boards with double paper between. 

Floors may be put into the coops if desired, but they add consid- 
erably to the cost — usually from one-fifth to one-quarter. Floors must 
be kept covered with sand or straw at all times. Concrete floors an 
sanitary and usuallv rat-proof, but are very cold in winter, and in 
this respect may interfere with a good egg yield. A good dry dirt flooi 
will generally give the most satisfactory results, all things being 
considered. 

The matter of ventilation for the coops should receive very careful 
attention. Present-day methods of housing chickens are quite the con- 
trary of those pursued some years ago. Mow the coops are made so 
that they will absolutely prevent draughts, but a circulation of air is 

13 



constantly going on in them. Air is usually admitted through so-called 
"open-air fronts." The front of the building is not entirely open, but 
open spaces of varying sizes are covered with cheap muslin, through 
which the air gently si its in and out. This creates sufficient circulation 
of the air inside the coop to remove moisture and to purify the air, 
without making' any direct draughts. The muslin openings remain the 
same throughout summer and winter. During excessively cold nights 
a curtain of burlap or cheap unbleached muslin may be drooped in 
front of the roosts to assist in keeping the fouls warm while they are 
inactive. The usual proportion of muslin placed in the front of the 
coop is about one square foot of muslin to ten square feet of floor 
>r a pen ten by twelve feet the amount of muslin would 
nit three feel bv f< air feet. 
The windows of the coops should be placed as high in the front of 
the building as possible, This will permit the sunshine to reach far- 
thest back in the coop, especially during the winter months. Care 
should be taken not to put too many windows in a coop, or it will be 
cold, particularly at night. Glass radiates heat at night as rapidly as it 
collects it in the daytime. Either eight by ten or nine by eleven is a 
ize light to use. The former come in six and nine-light single 
sash With the windows properly placed, about one square foot of 
glass surface may be allowed for every sixteen square feet of floor 
area. 



Inside Fittinos. 



The number of separate pens, and their size, will depend upon the 
si/e of the house or the number of fowls to be housed. The larger 
the pen the greater proportionate number of fowls can lie kept in each 
pen. The smaller the pen the greater amount of labor necessitated in 
caring for the birds. A pen ten feet square will accommodate about 
thirty to thirty-five birds; a pen sixteen feet square will accommodate 
about one hundred birds. Practically no more labor would be neces- 
sary to care for the birds in the latter pen than the smaller number 
in the former pen. Chickens kept in small flocks will usually produce 
eggs than when kept in large flocks, however. 
The perches maj he made of either one by two-inch sticks, well 
crosswise to prevent sagging, or two by three-inch pieces, with 
the two-inch side uppermost. The two top edges of the perches should 
be rounded off. \.bou1 six to eight linear inches of perch room, ac- 
cording to the si fowl, is usually allowed for each bird. The 
- should lie as close to each other as the size of the fowls will 
permit. The lighter breeds will need only about twelve inches between 
rch, while fifteen inches will he necessary for the heavier birds. 

All perches should lie <m the SAME LEVEL. 

To keep the house sanitary, a platform should he built under the 

catch the droppings. This platform, or dropping hoards as 

'Imarilv termed, should lie tightlj constructed of matched or ship 

ards. The platforms and perches are usually put at the rear of 

the pen to I birds farthest from the front of the building, free 

from draughts, and this also places the roosts where they will be least 

in the way. The platform should be about eight or ten inches below 

ts to permit of easy cleaning, without moving 

the perches. ["he edge of the dropping boards should extend about 

ten inches in front of the first perch, so as i ■ ■ afford room for the 

fowls to walk on when going to a desired place on a perch. 

14 



When building dropping boards, care should be taken not to make 
them too tight. The moisture of the droppings will make the boards 
swell, and if the boards are so tight there is no plaj at all they will 
buckle up and not only present a very poor appearance but will be very 
hard to clean thoroughly. 

Where it is possible the roosts and dropping- boards should be 
movable to facilitate the righting of lice and mites. It is an excellent 
idea also to lower them as tin' weather gets warm. The closer the 
roosts are to the roof, in summer as well as in winter, the hotter will 
be the fowls. Not only does the sun warm the roof in the daytime, 
which in turn heats the air under it, this remaining warm far into the 
night, but the bodily heat thrown off by the fowls has less chance for 
escape when the roosts are close to the roof than when they are some 
distance away. If the fowls have the choice, it will be noticed that in 
summer they are content to take the lower roosts; in winter those 
nearest to the roof will be crowded, while the lower roosts are almosl 
empty. 

The nests may be placed under the dropping boards, above the 
floor, or on a specially built platform at one side of the coop ; but 
they should never be stationary. They should be so that the> can be 
easily taken out and thoroughly and frequently cleaned. Stationary 
nests mean a fine hiding-place for lice and mites. It is an excellent 
thing, after the nests have been cleaned (which should be done about 
twice a month), to burn the old nesting material and by putting the 
nest box right over the burning material for a few moments, a dense 
smoke can be made to permeate every corner and crack of the nesting 
box, and it is "sure death" to all vermin. 



Fences and Yards. 

The available space will govern the amount of runs or yards that 
can be given the fowls. The larger the yard the less danger there will 
be from contamination of the soil by the droppings of the birds. The 
smaller each individual yard the greater will be the restriction of the 
liberty of the hens, and the greater the proportionate cost of con- 
struction. 

The fences can be of two-inch mesh wire for grown fowls. For 
little chicks, one-inch mesh is necessary, at least the first two feet up. 
For all ordinary purposes, two by four-inch posts of chestnut or hem- 
lock, finished rough, and placed about two feet in the ground and not 
much over twelve feet apart, will sustain a six-foot fence. To pre- 
serve the life of these posts it is well to paint them where they go into 
the ground with a heavy coating of cheap tar paint. A baseboard of 
one by six-inch (cheap) boards, placed about two or three inches into 
the ground and nailed to the posts, will give a solid foundation on 
which to nail the lower edge of the wire, and will also prevent the 
fowls from scratching holes deep enough to get under from one run to 
another. It is a decided mistake to put boards along the tops of the 
posts, as the fowls will see these and fly up on them. A five- foot 
fence is usually high enough to pen in any of the heavy breeds, and 
six feet is sufficient for the lighter breeds. 

15 



CHAPTER V. 
THE START— WHEN AND HOW MADE. 

When sufficient quarters have been actually provided for the num- 
ber of fowls that '>ne desires to keep, the next step is to consider how 
and when the start will be made. 

The advice that is given to beginners 1>\ all practical poultrymen, 
that is acknowledged to be safest and best to follow, is to begin with 
a SMALL NUMBER of fowls of G< >< »D STOCK. In beginning in a 
small way, one's ability and capacity for the necessary work increase 
with the enlarging of the plant. After one has done certain routine 
work, da) alter day, for a long time, this work becomes easier, and 
double the amount of work can be accomplished later on in half the 
time that it took at the beginning. And even more important than this 
is the fact that one's fund of practical knowledge and experience will 
increase as he works out the various problems as they present them- 
selves. 

Figuratively speaking, it is better to start with six chickens than 
with sixty. Some one may say: "Oh, six chickens; I could never 
waste time on so few!" But it is better to experiment with a few 
than with a large number, for one can net "closer" to the few: his 
experience will be jusl as great, if not greater, in caring lor a small 
number than if one's energies are spread over a large number; one 
more easily and clearly both the good and bad effects of what 
en done, ami errors will lie discovered and corrected much easier 
and quicker, hence with less loss, with a small flock than with a 
large one. 

The amount of spare time one has to devote to his poultry would 
ntrol, to a lame extent, the number of fowls kept. It is out of 
the question for the man who works from seven o'clock in the morning 
until six at night to be able to have as large a Hock as the 
principal, or teacher, who need not leave his house until almost nine 
c'clock in the morning, and who returns shortly after three in the 
afternoon, and also has all day Saturday in which to improve his 
flock and place. Then again, the person who is away all day long must 
leave his birds to the care of another, or, worse, to cart- for themselves, 
in which case the amount of attention they receive varies. 

Where one's time is obviously limited, the progress must neces- 
sarily be slower, and this is often discouraging to thos< who desire to 
increase in a short time to a size that will permit them to leave their 
position and make a regular business of keeping poultry. 
3S in the poultry business is necessarily slow, unless one has 
unlimited funds with which to buy the labor of others, in which case 
tisfaction of personal accomplishment is entirely lost. The man 
ige means must be contented to increase his plant largely from 
his 0W n efforts, and his increase musl he controlled by the amount of 
available time he has in which to work upon his plant. 

A mistake that the beginner should be careful to avoid making is 
to figure that he would like to keep so many hens and think that this 
settles the matter. Do not forget that most important time of the year 
with poultrj the breeding season. While some experienced poultry- 
men can proper!) care for one thousand fowls (laying hens princi- 
pally), it would he a physical impossibility for them to care for this 
number of fowls phis the hatching and rearing of sufficient chicks to 
replace the old fowls. During every breeding season, on all the large 
poultry plants, extra help is necessary. The practical poultryman who 

16 



can care for one thousand hens knows it takes three people to care for 
this number when the young stock is being raised, or during about four 
months of the year. Therefore, the novice would do well to figure that 
he would like to keep one hundred hens and then cut this to twenty. 
rather than to start with the larger number and find he must n 
both old and young stock during the following breeding season. 



Good Foundation Stock. 

One principal requisite for ultimate success with poultry is 
start with GOOD FOUNDATION STOCK. Too much stress' cannot 
be put upon the fact that on this <>uc point hinges innumerable vital 
reasons for success or failure. One mistake some beginners make is 
to think that they can gain just as much experience with mongrel fowls 
as with pure-bred birds. This is not so. Mongrel fowls will take care 
of themselves, to a certain extent ; arid this very fact alone would be 
apt to inculcate a strain of neglect in the novice. And what is the 
use of spending a year or two breeding from poor stock (to get expe- 
rience), when the entire flock will have to be discarded and a new, 
fresh start made with good stock? This would simply Ik so much 
time and labor wasted. And the experience one may gain from poor 
or mongrel stock will largely have to be discarded with the birds, and 
new methods learned with the better grade of fowls. Mongrels will 
return little more than trouble for one's pains. They are highly unde- 
sirable, unsatisfactory, and expensive in the long run. 

It is better to buy and start with five fine birds at live dollars apiece 
than to begin with twenty-live poor birds at one dollar each! Fancy 
birds are not what is meant by good foundation stock, but this term 
includes 'birds that are full-blooded, true to type, and from the best 
laying strain that can be bought for the amount of money one has to 
spend. When such birds are used to breed from, the progeny will 
usually improve, and when one is ready to make a regular business of 
the pursuit, his birds will warrant and support the step. 

There are two seasons of the year that are particularly favorable 
for the beginner to make a start in the poultry business; spring and 
fall. Spring offers many points of advantage, and fall alsi 
superiority in certain ways. 

When one starts in the spring he will have the advantage of some 
months of warm, pleasant weather before him. This will lie a valuable 
aid, as poultry always does better in warm, pleasant weather than 
when lighting the rigors of winter. Those who so desire can start 
in the spring with either young stock (chicks) or with grown stock — 
laying birds — or with some of both. In the fall, however, the start 
must invariably be made with grown birds. Whether one feels capable 
of attempting to master the two different branches of the bsuiness-- 
that is, the chick branch and that of caring for the older birds — or 
whether he will tackle only the care of grown fowls in the fall and 
investigate the chick end of it the following spring, is something for 
the individual to decide according to bis own feelings and bis local 
conditions. 

One can, of course, start in the spring with but one branch of 
stock, either chicks or grown fowls. It is usually considered best, 
when one desires to start keeping chickens in the spring of the year] 
to purchase first some grown fowls and try to learn how to care' for 
these for a few months and then, if desirable, chicks can be either 
raised from one's own hens or purchased, and the details of this 
branch looked into. 

17 



The price of grown stock will be greater in the spring than in the 
fall. The person who has wintered the birds is justified in charging 
for this, and also for the fact thai hens are ready in the spring to lay 
a large number of eggs. But this greater initial cost of the birds can 
be mure than made up in the number of eggs that will be received and 
the chicks that can he hatched from these eggs. 

[f one purchases six yearling hens and a cockerel (and this will 
make an excellent mating), any time before the first of April, and 
hatches all the eggs received for the next three months, with fair suc- 
cess in hatching, In- should have about one hundred and fifty or mure 
chicks by July first. Even if some of these chicks are lost when 
them, and about all the cockerels are disposed of, one should 
have between forty ami fifty pullets to show fur his summer's work 
and to carry into the winter. And this is really a big stride for a 
beginner to make in such a short time. 

A start made in the fall brings with it many opportunities for 
buying good stock at low prices Large breeders are then planning 
for the winter housing of their birds, and they usually have some 
stock for sale. The current year's pullets must he housed, and these 
are usually put in the houses previousl) occupied by the older birds. 
No practical poultryman crowds two birds where one should go, hence 
some birds must be disposed of. This gives the person starting in the 
fall a chance to pick up some fine birds at reasonable prices. 

Of course, the rigors of winter make it a fairly trying time for 
lie interested in poultry. But if one can tight successfully 
through this period and master to si .me extent the details of proper 
ig and housing of grown stock, he will be quite capable the fol- 
lowing spring to continue and enlarge. 



CHAPTER VI. 
HATCHING THE CHICKS. 

To make a success with chickens —that is, where they are not kept 
solely as ;i hobby, but where a net profit is expected — one must know 
something of the fundamental laws of reproduction in general, the 
formation and composition of eggs in particular, and also possess a 
certain knowledge of grains, as to their chemical analysis, feeding 
values, etc There is something more to keeping chickens than throw- 
ing them some corn in the morning and gathering eggs (perhaps) in 
the evening. In other words, one must know chickens from start to 
finish, and hack to the start again, to gain the greatest success. Let us 
observe a little more closely that very innocent-looking, yet most in- 
teresting object, an egg. To do so we will have to go back" a little 
further, to the hen, and see how the egg is formed, of what it is 



composed, etc. 



The Egg. 

The ovary of the hen, or that part in which the miniature eggs are 
formed, when the hen is in laying condition or about to lay. looks 
very much like a bunch of grapes, with the exception that instead oi 
being all one size, the eggs vary in si/e, according to their staj 

IS 



development, from about three quarters of an inch in diameter down 
to so small a size thai they can be seen only with the aid of a micro- 
scope. During the period of laying, these eggs arc gradually increas- 
ing in size in due succession. The yolk and germ, which go to make 
up these rudimentary eggs, are encased in a transparent sac which in 
turn is held to the ovary by a thin membrane. This containing sac 
becomes thinner as the yolk grows, and finally, when the yolk is ma- 
ture, ruptures around- the centre, and the yolk, surrounded by a thin 
membrane of its own. drops into the funnel-shaped beginning of the 
oviduct. 

The oviduct is a passageway that in the normal hen is about two 
feet long, and its function is to carry the yolk and germ to the outside 
world, encasing them with a number of different coats on the way. 
The first coat deposited around the yolk and germ after they are re- 
ceived in the oviduct is what is generally termed (he "white" of an 
egg, or the albumen, a secretion of the mucus membranes of the ovi- 
duct. This coat is nol thrown around the egg all at once, hut is de- 
posited in layers as the yolk passes along. These layers may lie readily 
distinguished if an egg is boiled hard, when they may he peeled off 
like the layer- nion. A little farther along in the oviduct the 

egg receives another coat which is generally termed the "skin" of the 
eee. and lies just inside the outer shell. This skin is of two layers, 
and can he easily peeled apart; in fact, at the larger end of the egg 
one layer is a quarter of an inch or more away from the other layer, 
forming what is usually known as the "air cell" of the egg. The 
inner layer of this skin contracts, the air cell growing larger, as the 
egg grows older and moisture evaporates. When very rapid evap- 
oration takes place, as in the case of eggs that have been incubated 
for eighteen days or so, this air cell may occupy as much as one-fifth 
of the entire space inside the shell. As the egg approaches the last part 
of the oviduct it receives another and final coat commonly known as 
the "shell." Here also the coloring-matter is deposited on the shell, 
certain breeds depositing a dark- color solidly on a white ground, or 
perhaps only in spots, making the so-called "speckled" egg shells, and 
in still other varieties a coating <>\ white is deposited over a huff 
ground — all governed by the various secreting organs of the different 
breeds. 

Knowing these things, one can more readily see some of the won- 
derful provisions id" Nature. The albumen is a poor conductor of 
heat, hence protects the egg. when hatching, from being suddenly 
chilled when the hen leaves her nest. It is "tough" enoughto protect, 
to a large extent, the embryo germ from sudden jars or jolts. The 
albumen is also the principal nourishment of the growing chick in the 
shell, and in time is practically entirely absorbed by the chick, thus at 
the same time making room in the shell for the rapidly growing chick. 

Nature has also so arranged the chemical properties of the outside 
shell that, considering its thickness and texture, when first laid, it is 
of remarkable strength, yet as hatching proceeds chemical changes take 
place in the shell itself so that the particles soften and partially disin- 
tegrate, permitting the shell to he much more easily broken, thus mak- 
ing it possible for the little chick to break its way through. Just 
before leaving the shell, the chick absorbs the yolk, and this is used 
as its nourishment for the forty-eight hours or .so while the little 
chick is yet unable to procure proper or sufficient nourishment for 
itself. Truly as we study more closely the details of Nature's handi- 
craft we marvel more and more at the wonders we discover. 

19 



The Hatching Period. 

The hatching period is looked forward to each year with much 
ctation, and hopes of big results run high — sometimes ap- 
proaching the altitude oi air castles. But he who aims low seldom 
hits anything, and high ideals often accompany and frequently foster 
excellent results. But when the usual difficulties have been overcome — 
as they can be and have been by hundreds of people — and a goodly 
number of downy little puff-balls greet one at the end of the hatching 
period, he feels that the very careful attention given, largely superin- 
latural anxiety, was well worth while. 

Close care and attention, not only every day but all during each 
day and as far into the night as is possible, other things being equal, 
will help to bring off a maximum number of chicks. It will pay one 
well to look after things in the closesl way during the three-weeks' 
period of hatching, and one's visit to the incubator or setting hen 
.should not he made as seldom but as frequently as possible. This 
will enable one to "nip in the bud" any impending trouble before any 
serious damage can result. The loss of one of more hatches, espe- 
if a large number of eggs are set, may make all the difference 
between a successful year's work and one bordering on failure. 

(/are should he taken in figuring the number of chicks desired, 
not to "bite off more than one can chew." Many have made COStl} 
mistakes bj getting in over their head. It isn't the number of chicks 
hatched that one should look to, half as much as how many can he 
properly cared for. both as regards time and facilities, ami how many- 
can thus he raised to maturity. Instead of hatching more than can 
he cared for, resulting in poor care for all, figure mi hatching half 
that number, and then give these the benefit of the best care and 
attention, and success will he more assured. 

In regard to the size of incubator that the beginner will need, 
it is best for the individual to carefully estimate the number of 
chicks he expects to hatch the first or second season, and then buy 
a machine that will hold about double that number of eggs. For 
the majority of beginners, an incubator that holds either fifty or 
seventy eggs will be quite large enough. Unless one has a large 
amount of capital to invest in the business at the start, it would 
hardly be advisable for a beginner to buy larger than a L20-egg 
machine. This will hatch all the eggs that the novice will need to 
incubate at first. As the business grows, the number and size of the 
incubators can be increased. 

'lost of different incubator- on the market, all 
of which are differently constructed, u is quite impossible to give 
any set rules or instructions regarding their operation. Each manu- 
facturer, however, knows his own machine best, and as all send mi- 
nute instructions for operating their particular machine, it is safest 
and best to follow carefully the directions that accompany the machine 
ma based. 

Eggs that are intended for hatching should be set just as soon 
as possible. The longer any egg is kept the less valuable it becomes 
for incubating purposes. Evaporation of the moisture in the egg be- 
gins as soon as ii is laid, carrying with it. also, certain material 
an to the growth of the chick. Eggs that are set the day they 
are laid will give the best results, though an egg may be kept a week 
ami mi givi satisfactory results. Chicks have been hatched 
from eggs kept from four to six weeks, but they were very hard to 
raise. Eggs used for hatching should he as nearly uniform in size, 
shape and color as possible, and the shells free from ridges or lines 

2(1 



around the middle, or at the small end of the egg. They should be 
carefully handled and not be jarred. When kept for a short time, the 
eggs should be laid on the side and turned only once every second or 
third day. They should be kept in a room where the temperature 
does not go below 15 nor above 55 degrees. 



Hatching With Incubators. 

The first week of incubation, like the first week of the chick's 
life, is the most crucial time. Extra care and attention during this 
period are not only in order but absolutely necessary to secure good 
results. When the eggs have been properly handled the first week, 
the worst may be considered over, and after two weeks oi incuba- 
tion they may receive fairly harsh treatment, yet will hatch satis- 
factorily. This, however, provides no rule, or even an excuse, for 
neglect, and the same careful attention given the first day or the first 
week should extend throughout the entire hatch. 

The incubator should be thoroughly disinfected and run a few 
days before any eggs are trusted in it. The first week a temperature 
of 102 to in:; degrees should be maintained, care being taken nol to 
exceed the latter figure. Beginning on the morning of the third (3rd) 
day. the eggs should be turned (not necessarily half-way round, but 
simplj enough to change their relative position) twice each day, with 
as little airing the first week as possible. The second week, the 
temperature should be evenly maintained at 103 degrees. The eggs 
should be turned twice daily and cooled live minutes (inclusive of the 
time consumed in turning the eggs), when turning at night, where the 
room temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees. If the room temper- 
ature is less than 60 degrees, deduct from the live minutes one min- 
ute for every five degrees cooler. Thus, if the room temperature 
is 50 degrees' it would allow but three minutes for turning and cool- 
ing. It "is hardly advisable to incubate, especially during the crucial 
first week, wdiere the room temperature runs much below 50 degrees. 
It would chill the eggs too severely when cooling and perhaps spoil 
the hatch. The third week the eggs are treated in a similar method 
to that employed during the second week, with the exception of an 
additional live' minutes" cooling every night, making ten minutes' cool- 
ing instead of five, and running the temperature half a degree higher 
(103' 

The seventh, twelfth and eighteenth days, the eggs should be 
tested, this being done best at night. Eggs that are perfectly clear 
are infertile. aneT those having a dark ring around the embryo (which 
during the first few days is generally floating freely) are imperfectly 
fertilized, and both of these should be discarded. If one is uncertain 
whether an egg is fertile or if the germ is still alive, it is best to 
leave it in the machine until the hatch is over. Experience is the 
best teacher in testing eggs. If the temperature has been maintained 
at an even degree and the eggs cooled properly, it is usually unneces- 
sary to supply moisture in the machine. 

At each testing time (on the seventh, twelfth and eighteenth 
days i. the eggs should lie cooled a full half-hour in a room where 
the temperature is about seventy degrees Fahrenheit. This exces- 
sive cooling causes the contents of the egg to contract, drawing m 
a large supply of oxygen through the porous shell. 

Never under any circumstance should one egg be placed on top 
of another during incubation, making two layers. If this is done, the 
entire hatch will undoubtedly he a failure. 

21 



After testing the eggs on the eighteenth clay and removing all 
those with dead germs, etc., the incubator should be closed and re- 
main closed until the hatch is over. This does not mean that the 
temperature in the machine should be allowed to change appreciably, 
but regulation of the Heat must be made from the outside by means 
of the lamp. Mam hatches that might otherwise be successful are 
spoiled by opening the machine after the eighteenth day. 

It is practicaih useless to try to assist chicks out of the shell. 
If a chick has insufficient vitality, from any cause whatever, to liberate 
itself from the shell, it will be unable to make proper growth, and 
sooner or later will sicken and die. it is true that it is hard to work 
for three weeks over the eggs and to see a chick pip the egg and 
then not to help it out, but such assistance will only cause endless 
trouble for those who permit sympathy or desire for a large hatch 
to run a\va\ with their common sense. Where it is possible to raise 
some of the chicks that are helped out of the shell, they will only 

lower the general vitality of the flock and never will make g ! 

layers or profitable birds. Besides this, the opening of the machine 
I a few weaklings out of the shell at the crucial time of hatch- 
ing, will probably cool the temperature sufficiently to chill other 
chicks aboul to hatch, and this may result in the loss .,f large nttm- 
of chicks that would otherwise have hatched. 

'klie chick should begin to pip tlie shells about tile end of the 
twentieth day, if the correct temperature has been maintained, and 
the hatch should he completel) over by the end of the twenty-first 
day. The chicks should he permitted to stay in the incubator until 
re thoroughly dried off and tire strong enough to run around, 
when they may he safeh removed to the brooder. 

Beginners should not become discouraged if the first few hatches 
are not entirely successful. Poultrymen with years of experience do 
not always get big hatches. There are many causes for poor hatches. 
One oi the principal reasons wh\ experienced poultrymen advise 
beginners to start with good foundation stock is. because they know 
that iln chances of getting fertile eg,L:s that will hatch strong, live- 
able chicks are far better with good stock- than with poor stock, 
eldom lay eggs that will hatch well. Thus the im- 
portance of L;ettinu; the besl foundation stock possible becomes very 
apparent in the reproduction of the Mock. Improper feeding will affect 
rtihn and hatchability of the eggs. Too little green food 
given the breeders: improper care of eggs during the firsl week of 
hatching; too much cooling; too high or too low a temperature; 
jarring the eggs; eggs kept to., long before being incubated; these, 
and many other similar reasons, cause ] r hatches, 

When a hatch has not heen successful, the conditions should 
lie carefully studied with a view to ascertaining the cause or causes, 
and these removed or corrected before attempting another batch. 
With good breeding stock, properly fed and cared for, and correct 
incubation, the chicks will pop out at the proper time. If the be- 
ginner can get an average ^i seventy-five per cent, fertility and then 
is able to hatch fifty per cent, of the remaining fertile eggs, the 
first year, he will he < i < » i n u very well indeed. Better results than these 
are. of course, possible and should he diligently sought. Ami with 
proper application and close attention to details, they will he achieved 
m tune. 

Hatching With Hens. 

best instructor in hatching with hens is experience. The 
local conditions vary so greatly, both with the operator and the hen. 
mly a few general rules and suggestions may he given. 

12 



The principal trouble with hatching hens is the possibility of their 
des< rting their nests. This is usually caused by one of two things: Lice 
or a poor sitter. The first cause can easily be overcome. The hen 
should be thoroughly (lusted with lice powder before she is given 
any eggs to hatch. This dusting should be repeated at least i n 
a week (even after the hatch is off), until the chicks are almost 
weaned. The second cause may be overcome by a little experiment- 
ing. When a hen appears brood) she should be placed on some 
china eggs for two or three days. If .she still sticks close to the nest 
.H the end of this time, it will usually be safe to place her on the 
eggs that are to be hatched. Tf Biddy persists in frequently leav- 
ing the lies; to perch on top of the nest box,, or tries to hatch a 
house bj sitting on a door-knob in some other place, she will be an 
unreliable hen to trust with a hatch of eggs. 

A roomy box should be filled with nesting material and the hen 
should be changed to the new nest, preferably at night. The nest should 
be placed where other hens cannot annoy the sitter. It should be 
in a dry, comfortably warm place where there is not too much bright 
light. After the hen has been pined on the eggs, she should not 
be disturbed for about twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Then she 
should be carefully lifted off the nest and permitted to run around 
for a few minutes. Plenty of grain and fresh water should always 
be within easy reach of the sitting hen. During the first week, and 
to a certain extent throughout the entire hatching time, the attendant 
should remain near the hen when she is off the nest, to see that 
she goes hack again within a reasonable time. A hen that sits too 
close is not as good a hatcher as one that is somewhat nervous and 
moves around in the nest frequently. The former will not allow 
sufficient air to get to the eggs to permit the growing chick to obtain 
enough oxygen to make prop,,- growth. In such a case, the close 
sitter must he lifted off the nest more frequently and the eggs moved 
around gently to change their relative position. 

Occasionally a hen will step on and break one or more eggs 
during the period of incubation. These should be removed as 
as noticed. If the nest has been badly soiled, new nesting material 
should be furnished. If any of the contents of a broken egg should 
get on the remaining eggs, it should lie carefully wiped off with a 
cloth dampened with warm water. If a coating of egg is allowed to 
remain on the outside of an egg in the process of incubation, par- 
ticularly during the second or third weeks, it will prevent the grow- 
ing chick from getting sufficient air through the shell to hatch. 

\s the chicks begin to hatch, it is best to remove them from the 
nest and put them in a warm place where the temperature is about 
ninety-eight to one hundred degrees. If the chicks are left with 
the mother, as they begin to come off, the stronger ones will soon 
begin trying to get out of the nest. tf one chick succeeds in get- 
ting outside, the hen will probably follow it, leaving the eggs in the 
nest, and these will be chilled and will not hatch. If the hen does 
not follow the chicks outside the box, they are likely to die from 
exposure. After all the chicks are hatched, the entire flock may be 
given back to the mother hen, which should previously have been 
given another thorough dusting with lice powder. 

CHAPTER VII. 
BROODING. 

While the correct feeding of the chicks is one of the most im- 
portant features of successful poultry raising, the brooding of the 

23 



chicks will either hinder or aid one materially in raising a large 
proportion of the chicks hatched. 

There are two methods of brooding chicks: The natural way — 
with hens — and the modern method of supplying artificial heat. Both 
methods have their advantages and disadvantages. Some poulty- 
men think there is less work to brood the chicks under hens. 
Certainly, in the majority of cases, there is little or no trouble with 
the "heating apparatus." But there is a pecuniary loss, because the 
lien that is brooding chicks lays practically no eggs for about three 
or four weeks. This means about fifty cents loss. The hen. par- 
ticularly if it is of a heavy breed, may clumsily step on and kill one 
or more chicks in the brood. Chicks which are brooded by hens 
are naturally more wild ami are harder to tame, also feeling the 
restraint of winter quarters more than those raised by the artificial 
method. 

When brooding chicks with artificial heat, there is, of course, tin 
oi both chicks and brooder by fire, hut care 
should reduce this element to a minimum. While the equipment is 
necessarily more expensive, much larger (locks, both individually and 
collectively, can be raised by the artificial method than when brooding 
with hens. One can hatch and brood the chicks at any time of the 
year, and il is not necessan, to await the pleasure of a broody hen. 
When the heat is properly supplied and the method of feeding is 
correct, jusi as n d just as strong chicks can be raised 1>\ the 

artificial method as by the natural way. 



Brooding With Hens. 

A mistake that is frequently made, when brooding with hens, is 
to combine the hatchings of two or more hens into one flock and give 
all tin- chicks to one hen to mother. Nature intended one Inn to 
mother only the chicks she hatched, and these would never exceed a 
number which she could properly take care for. If one hatches only 
half a dozen chicks from each of two hatches, for instance, i 
might be combined and given to one hen to brood, while the othet hen 
is put back into the laving pen, but it is unwise in the extreme i 
twenty-live or more chicks to even a big hen to mother. 

When the chicks are fully dried off and sufficiently strong 
to run around (usually about thirty-six to forty-eight hours after the 
hatching), they may be moved with the hen to the brooder coop. The 

;,; lei coop (two feel bv two feel by two feet makes a good-sized 

should previously I n placed in a dry location, prefer- 

ably facing south, and protected from high winds and heavy rains. 
If the weather is cool, the coop should be placed where it will l>e in 
the sunshine a maximum part of the daytime, but in mid-summer shade 
must be provided. The bottom part of tin coop, to a height of about 
or four inches, should have earth banked against it to prevent 
draughts from blowing under, and to give good drainage. If the 

sivelj cold, the hen should be coi d in a small box, 

op, and the chicks allowed to run inside the re- 
mainder of the COOp. If pleasant, warm weather is present, the hen 
in the coop proper and tin chicks should be given the 
privilege of running around outside. The clucking of the mother hen 
will prevent the chicks from straying too far. 

the chicks should be placed on a board in front of 
•he coop For the first two or three days. This board should be where 
the hen can put her head through the slats in the front of the coop 
and eat. foi she will then call the chicks and teach them how to eat. 

24 



Later the chicks should be fed farther from the coop, where their food 
will be inaccessible to the hen, as the food given the chicks is too ex- 
pensive to feed to the hen continually. Plenty of grain should be 
provided for the hen, and fresh water in abundance should frequently 
be supplied to both the hen and chicks. When the chicks arc weaned, 
numerous individual flocks may be assembled and placed in a colony 
coop. 

The Artificial Method. 

The suggestions for the placing of the brood coop for hen- 
mothered chicks apply equally well to the brooder coop in which the 
brooding is to be done by supplying artificial heat. The usual size of 
a lamp-heated brooder coop is three by six feet (though some indoor 
brooders are three by three feet). For convenience in operating a 
number of brooder coops, they should be placed as close as accessi- 
bility will permit, usually about two or three feet apart, and prefer- 
ably in line with each other. 

When the first eggs are set, the brooders should be overhauled 
and put in thorough working order. To leave this till the chicks are 
hatched may mean that parts which are missing or broken will have 
to be procured at the last moment. Inability to procure these parts 
at once may seriously prevent one from properly heating the brooder 
and caring for the chicks, resulting in the loss of sonic of the brood. 

A day or two before the hatch comes off, the brooder should be 
made ready for the chicks. The floor should be covered to the depth 
of at least one-half inch with sand or loose, dry dirt, and about one- 
half inch of cut hay, clover or alfalfa .sin mid be placed over the sand. 
A little chick feed should be scattered over this, and two or three little 
piles should be put in the corners. After new wicks have been put in 
the lamps, they should be lighted. The flame should be regulated so 
as to maintain a uniform temperature of ninety-five (95) degrees un- 
der the hover, irrespective of the temperature of the air outside. In- 
cidentally, the heat that is supplied in the hover should be supplied 
from the top downward — this is following the natural method of the 
hen. Most manufactured brooders are constructed so that the heat is 
supplied according to this principle. 

When the chicks are placed under the hover, the temperature may 
go up to one hundred or one hundred and five degrees, but the lamp 
flame should not be altered. It is the natural bodily heat thrown off 
bv the chicks that causes the temperature to rise, and the lamp heat 
should not be decreased on this account. Boards should be placed so 
as to keep the chicks within twelve inches of the hover for the first 
day or two, until they learn to go in and out from the hover. 

The afternoon is the best time to place a new lot of chicks in the 
brooder. They should be fed and then gently put in under the hover 
where they should be kept for half an hour or so, when they may be 
permitted to come out and exercise. After the next feeding this oper- 
ation should be repeated. A little chick should not be kept exercising 
too much the first day or two. Sleep is quite as essential at first to a 
chick as to a baby. After the chicks get the way of running in and 
out of the hover (usually in a day or two), it is no longer necessary 
for the attendant to see that they go back after feeding. The boards 
that kept the chicks near the hover may also be placed farther away 
from the hover gradually, and taken away entirely after one or two 
days. 

At the beginning of the second week, the temperature may be 
lowered to ninety degrees, and to eighty-five the third week. This 

25 



temperature is gauged as at first, with no chicks under the hover. The 
comfort of the chicks should be the gauge by which the temperature 
of the hover is regulated. Chicks that are comfortable will put their 
little heads out of the fringe of the hover; if insufficient heat is being 
supplied, they will huddle together under the centre of the hover. The 
latter condition is to be avoided. 

In clear weather the chicks should be let out on the ground after 
they are about one week old, even if the temperature outside is but 
fort} or fiftj degrees and the chicks are out only a few minutes. The 
chicks should be watched closely in cool weather, however. They 
should not be permitted to huddle, and as soon as they show signs of 
becoming cold, and huddling, they should be immediately put back into 
ill- brooder, under the hover. The chicks will enjoy this little run and 
look for it every daw In pleasant, warm weather the chicks may be 
allowed to run outside the brooder as they like, but they should never 
be permitted to go out in the snow or rain. 

To successfully brood chicks, when supplying artificial heat, one 
must maintain a proper and uniform temperature under the hover. A 
place must also be provided where the chicks can get away from the 
heat to a cooler temperature— about seventy (70) degrees is correct — 
in which thej can exercise. Pure air must he supplied the chicks at all 
times — under the hover and in the exercising pen. 

It is hardly sate to pul more than fifty to sixty chicks in the ordi- 
nary tliv . t brooder coop. This allows about six-tenths of a 

cubic foot of air and four-tenths of a square foot of floor space per 
chick. T.ess than this will prevent one from doing the best with his 
chick's. 

The brooder should lie cleaned daily under the hover part and 
thoroughly once a week throughout. It should be disinfected by spray- 
ith a solution of creolin and water or crude carbolic acid and 
water. The coops should be moved to new runs aboul once a month, 
and the old runs spaded up and planted to oats or rye to renew the 
ground. 



Brooding Without Heat. 

It is quite possible to brood chicks without supplying any heat to 
them whatsoever. Wither a hen nor a lamp is used to provide warmth 
for the chicks. Tin- principle is to conserve the natural bodily heat 
that the chicks are constantly throwing off. This method lias been 
proven of practical value in that it does not require a hen to be off 
the laying job lor three or four weeks, and precludes any possibility 
OSS from tire. 

The chicks are carefully watched to see that they do not huddle, 

a soon as tin- tendency is noticed they are at once put into the 

tireless brooder. This brooder is made of an ordinary cheese box, or 

ei kind of a box that may lie handy that is about sixteen inches 

and five or six inches high. A square wooden frame is made 

:ist inside the box. and unbleached muslin is tacked loosely on 

i muslin is tacked so that the centre falls about to 

the brooder when the frame is placed an inch down from 

tin top of the box (where it is held in position by cleats). A "quilt" 

is made to cover the top of the box, and the heat inside the brooder is 

regulated by placing this quilt either snugly or loosely on top of the 

muslin frame. \ three-inch square hole is cut in the side of the box 

through which the chicks can run in and out. When the chicks are 

cold they go inside the brooder and each chick helps warm the other. 

26 



This method of brooding may be used when the weather is mod- 
erately warm or when the chicks are few in number and brooded in- 
side a house or coop. It requires a great deal of watching and "hand- 
nursing" at first to get the chicks into the way of going int>> the 
brooder to get warm, hut when they once get the habit there is no 
more trouble with this than with any other system. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FEEDING THE CHICKS. 

One of the most interesting periods in the poultry keeper's yearly 
experience extends from the time the little chicks are hatched until 
they begin to feather out. Most hatching is done during the spring 
when everything seems to lie taking on new life, and one's spirits are 
simply bubbling oyer with exuberance. One's expectations seem to 
grow daily as the three weeks' period of incubation gradually draws 
to a close, and it is an exciting time indeed when the little chicks begin 
to "pop out." 

The little downy puff-balls seem to "sit up and take notice" almost 
as soon as they are dried off. They instinctively begin picking at every- 
thing within the limited range of their sight. In the absence of. any- 
thing more inviting they pick at each other's bills and toes, and woe 
be to the chick so unfortunate as to have the blood drawn. It is this 
instinctive picking that holds much danger for the beginner. When 
he sees the little fellows picking at each other, at the felt, even at little 
specks on the glass of the incubator, etc., etc., the novice immediately 
concludes the chicks are hungry. Forthwith he takes them out of the 
incubator, puts them into a brooder, and promptly begins stuffing them 
with all they will eat. In reality, he is banking up trouble for himself 
in direct proportion to the amount he gives the chicks to eat. 

Nature has provided little chicks with proper food in sufficient 
quantity to last them for sixty to seventy-two hours after they leave 
the shell. The last thing a chick does before breaking through the 
shell is to absorb the yolk of the egg, and this becomes its food until 
it is sufficiently strong to gain its own livelihood. Not only is the 
chick abundantly supplied, but if other food is eaten before this yolk 
is assimilated trouble will invariably result, ft is like a man who has 
just eaten a big, hearty dinner and then is forced to eat a lot more, 
onh the effects on a tender little chick are more far-reaching and 
disastrous than in the case of the man. Feeding chicks too soon after 
they are hatched is one of the principal causes of the high death rate, 
and large financial loss, in the chicken business. 

The kind and quality of chick food that is fed little chicks must 
of necessity depend largely on local conditions. There are many 
mixed chick grains on the market, and. if the truth were told, but few 
are of inferior quality. 

The one point on which half the success of raising chicks depends 
is feeding only sound, sweet //rain that has not been "heated" and that 
is free from mould or mustiness. Poor urain will not afford sufficient 
nourishment for the chicks, and sour grain will very quickly upset the 
sensitive digestive apparatus, resulting in sickness and final loss. 

Method of Feeding for the First Two Weeks. 

The first day the chicks should first he given a little grit (smallest 
size), fed sparingly, so that the chicks' crops will be induced to begin 
their natural working functions and thus be ready to take care of the 

27 



food when it is received. The grit may be put before the clucks first 
on a board so it can readily be seen, and later should be kept in hop- 
pers, accessible at all times. About three times a day the chicks 
are given a mash, composed of hard-boiled eggs cut up line, mixed 
with dried bread crumbs, and slightly moistened with sweet 
milk, not mushy, but just so that when a handful is taken up and 
squeezed in the hand and permitted to fall it will crumble away in 
pieces. Tapping with the fingers on the board holding the food will 
attract the attention of the chicks, and their curiosity, spurred on by 
their appetites, will quickly induce them to eat. The mash is left be- 
fore the chicks about five minutes at each feeding, after which it should 
be entirely removed. 

The bread and egg mash is made by boiling (infertile) eggs hard 
for about thirty minutes and chopping these up fine, shell and all. 
Bread should be cut into slices and slowly dried in an oven for at least 
an hour or more until it is brittle, and then crumbled very line. One 
dozen eggs is sufficient to mix with two loaves of bread. This mix- 
ture should be made for a day's feeding only, as it will quickly sour. 

Wheat bran may also be given from the first, as it is a "bulky" 
food and balances the more concentrated food of the mash. It is sur- 
prising, after the chicks get a good taste of the bran, with what relish 
and in what quantities they will consume it. It is perfectly safe to 
permit chickens of any and all ages to help themselves to bran, as they 
cannot consume too much for their good. 

From the very first the following chick mash is put before the 
chicks DRY, in shallow trays, and the chicks are allowed to eat as 
much as tbey desire. After a few days or a week, the mash may be 
fed in hoppers, and always kept accessible. This mash is .uiven the 
chickens dry continually until the fowls approach maturity, when the 
laying mash is gradually substituted. 



A Chick Mash. 

2i) lbs. Corn Meal. 

20 lbs. Wheat Bran. 

20 lbs. Wheat Middlings. 

20 Hi-. Fine Beef Scraps (besl quality). 

8 lbs. Fine Bone Meal. 

\fter the chicks are one week old, add 2 lbs. fine charcoal. 

The first day a little commercial chick feed is placed on a board 
before tin chicks until they become used to picking it up and eating it, 
and then a handful or so is fed in between the times the egg mash is 
fed, in the litter, to make the little fellows scratch for a living, thus 
keeping them in fine, healthy condition. A little rolled oats may be 
given occasionally to vary the ration. Fresh water, or half water and 
half sweet milk (lukewarm), should be given the chicks from the be- 
ginning of the second day. Giving water too soon after hatching may 
>n diarrhoea and other bowel troubles. The chicks can easily be 
Irink by dipping their bills in the water a few times. 

A Daily Schedule for Feeding the Chicks. 

Ordinarily, about three teaspoonfuls of the egg and bread crumb 

mash will lie sufficient for about fifteen or twenty chicks, at each feed- 

Vbout nne and a half teaspoonfuls of water should be sufficient 

to use in moistening this quantity of mash. If milk can be obtained at 

28 



a reasonable price (skim milk is quite as good as clear milk), this may 
be mixed with the water and given the chicks. Milk is better than 
water to use in moistening the bread-and-egg-crumbs mash. 

The following is a practical schedule for the dailv feeding of 
chicks for the first few days or a week: 

Proportions for about 20 chicks : 

7 A.M. (or as soon as light). — Lukewarm water (with one-quar- 
ter to one-half milk). 

8 A. M. — Small handful commercial chick feed, scattered around. 
10 A. M. — Three (3) teaspoonfuls of bread crumbs and egg, slightly 

moistened. 

12 M. — Fresh lukewarm water (and milk). Small handful of grain 
scattered around. 

2 P. M. — Three teaspoonfuls of bread crumbs and egg, slightly 
moistened. 

3:30 P.M. — Fresh lukewarm water (and milk). A generous sup- 
ply of grain, scattered around, so that the chicks can have all they 
want. Ordinarily, about two handfuls is sufficient. 

4:15 P. M. — All the bread crumbs and egg, slightly moistened, the 
chicks will eat. 

This last feeding of bread crumbs may be left before the 
chicks for twenty minutes or so. About five or six teaspoonfuls 
will be sufficient. DRY CHICK MASH BEFORE THE CHICKS 
AT ALL TIMES. 

The bread crumbs and egg should be before the chicks at the 10 
A. M. and 2 P. M. feedings, not more than FIVE minutes at each 
feeding — then it should be removed. 

If there is any grain to speak of in the litter, which the chicks 
have not scratched out from the previous feeding, do not give them 
any at the next feeding, but skip a feeding. 

The greatest secret in raising a large proportion of the chicks 
hatched is to feed the proper kind of food, zmthout overfeeding! Keep 
the chicks a little hungry during the day. They should come forward 
for the next feeding with some appetite. The chicks should be filled 
up at the last two feedings only. DON'T OVERFEED— DON'T 
OVERFEED ! 

This feeding is continued as outlined until the fifth day. when a 
little green food, such as lettuce, sprouted oats, or very young grass, 
cut in quarter-inch lengths, is added to the ration and fed freely every 
day. Without a large supply of green food, the chicks will not make 
proper growth. Very fine charcoal should also be given at this time 
and kept before the chickens all during their lives. Charcoal may be 
considered the chickens' "medicine chest" — if kept before them at all 
times, they will be their own doctors to a large extent, and they will 
take this wonderful corrective medicine in sufficient quantities and at 
the proper times to keep themselves in good condition. 

The sixth day a dish or hopper of very fine beef scraps should be 
put before the chicks and kept accessible at all times. After ten days 
or two weeks the egg and bread crumb mash may be omitted, a grow- 
ing mash gradually being substituted. As the chicks develop, larger 
sized grains may be given in preference to the very fine chick feed. 

Method of Feeding the Chicks from Two to Four Weeks. 

At the end of two weeks the chicks should be fed less, both in 
the number of feedings and in the quantity given at each feeding. 

29 



The chick feed should be scattered in the litter only twice daily, 
at 9 A. M. and 4 P. M. The morning feeding should be light and 
ttered well into an inch or more of litter, thus keeping the chicks 
active and a trifle hungry early in the day. The 4 P. M. feeding may 
be heavy, to fill the chicks up for the night. Give plenty of succulent 
green food. Discontinue the milk in the water, and give lukewarm 
water only, three times daily. 

The bread crumbs and egg should be gradually discontinued toward 

the end of the second week, and the chick mash used in place. This 

can be easilj done by introducing a little of the chick mash with the 

d crumbs about the tenth day, and gradually increasing 

the quantity of chick mash and decreasing the egg and bread crumbs, 

until only chick mash is fed at the end of two weeks. This mixture 

slightly moistened, the same as the egg and bread crumbs 

were edings a day are enough for the mash — at about 12 M. 

and 5 P. M. Keep the chick mash dry before the chicks at all times. 

It will be noticed, according to the schedule, that grain is always 

■ ks i" fill up on at night, before the moistened mash. 

This is so that the chicks will be induced to eat as much grain as 

- this will remain in the crop longer than the soft mash 

in the chicks will eat their crops nearly full of grain 

but relish i md bread crumbs so well that later they will eat 

r this, when, if things were reversed, they would not toucl 
after having eaten their fill of soft food. 

chedule of feeding should be continued for the two 
ring (or until the chicks are about four weeks old). Fur- 
ledules for feeding the chicks will be found in the chap 
wing the Young Stock." 

Plent\ of exercise, plenty of green food, dry mash, and charcoal, 
with judicious feeding, should raise a large proportion of the chicks 
hatched. Common sense should play a prominent part in the brooding 
and raising of chicks, and he who looks not at the labors of the mo- 
at the results that will become apparent six months 
uccess in the long run. 



CHAPTER IX. 
HOW TO PREVENT CHICK MORTALITY. 

Tin ■ millions of chicks annually, and a large propor- 

could be raised if proper conditions were in evi- 

There are two or three things which are the principal causes 

for this terrible loss, but there are usually attending causes that lend 

aid in making this appalling death rate. 

To ' • ent chicks from dying, one must know the prin- 

cipal reasons why chicks become sickly and die. Knowing the causes, 
indigently provide a means of prevention. 

One of the most far-reaching causes of chick mortality is the con- 
dition <\<i thi tig stock. By condition is meant the entire matter 
of the quality of the stock; its care and feeding. In the hatching and 
rearing of the chicks, the quality of the breeding stock, and the care 
and feed it receives, will become very apparent. One cannot be too 
particular about the breeding stock. While it is very nice to be able 
to procure a male bird from a flock of 200 egg-layers, if he does not 
possess the best of health and vitality he is worse than useless as a 

30 



breeder. And the same applies equally well to the females in the 
breeding pen. Healthy birds are of the greatest importance to the 
poultryman who is in the business to stay. Without healthy breeders, 
the general flock will deteriorate in vitality, and that means the begin- 
ning of the end. More complete details of the breeders and their care 
will be found in a subsequent chapter. 

A lack of care in the selection of eggs kept for hatching will cause, 
to a large extent, chick mortality. Eggs that have been kept too long 
will not have sufficient nourishment remaining in them when set to 
furnish the chicks with proper nutrients to sustain life. The eggs may 
have been kept in too warm a room, or may have been roughly handled. 

One cause of chick mortality may be found in faulty incubation. 
Chicks may be hatched that seem all right, but they will die alter a 
few days from apparently no cause whatsoever, [f the heat in the 
incubator has been either too high or too low, it will seriously inter- 
fere with the proper growth of the chick while in the shell, and this 
will become apparent after the chick hatches. When the heat is run 
too high for an extended time, the yolk of the egg will probably be 
baked, sometimes until it is as hard as that of a hard-boiled egg. When 
a yolk is in this condition it cannot be assimilated by the chick, which 
means that the chick will live for a while but will ultimately die. 

Errors in brooding are frequently the cause of .hick mortality. 
To crowd too many chicks into a brooder will prevent all from get- 
ting proper nourishment and exercise, and dead chicks under the 
hovers will be the result. One cannot put more chicks in a given space 
than should properly go there, any more than one can put a quart into 
a pint jug. The manner of supplying the heat may cause the chicks to 
die. If the heat is supplied from underneath, instead of from the top 
downward, the chicks will get "weak legs" and this will kill a great 
many. 

If insufficient heat is supplied in the brooder, the chicks will 
huddle together to get warm. To keep from being trampled upon, 
they will have to stand, and no chick can sleep while standing. A chick 
that does not get proper sleep will not grow. Or the lamp in the 
brooder may go out some windy night, and the chicks will Income 
chilled, which will probably so lower their vitality that they will be 
unable to overcome the handicap. 

Impure air in the brooder or under the hover will not afford suf- 
ficient oxygen for the growing chick. Chickens of all ages are rapid- 
breathing fowls, and must be supplied with a sufficient quantity of 
pure air to enable them to live. If the fumes of the brooder lamp are 
allowed to seep into the hover or brooder proper, or if the brooder 
coop does not have sufficient ventilation to admit a good supply of 
fresh air at all times, the chicks will suffer in consequence. A lack of 
sunlight will kill chicks almost as quickly as improper feeding or breed- 
ing. It is impossible to raise chicks in a cellar or anywhere below 
ground, where no sunlight penetrates. In summer, however, too much 
sunlight makes the coop (and chicks) too hot, and mortality will ensue. 
Shade positively must be provided in summer for fowls of all ages. 

A very prominent cause of chick mortality is unclean coops. This 
applies especially to very young chicks, but it is also applicable to chicks 
that may even be over the more dangerous stages of their growth. 
Unclean coops will work havoc in the best flock in the land. The 
droppings of chicks quickly become foul, and many diseases (particu- 
larly that most dreaded chick disease, white diarrhoea) are spread to 
healthy chicks by their coming into contact with infected droppings in 
unclean coops. Clean the brooders underneath the hovers EVERY 
DAY, and thoroughly clean the entire brooder at least once a week. 
Disinfect the brooders frequently with a solution of creolin (one pint) 

31 



and water (thirty-two quarts). A plentiful supply of sand on the 
floor of the brooder will aid in absorbing the droppings during the 
week, and will also prevent disease. 

Chickens are more susceptible to dampness than they are to cold. 
If a brooder is placed in a hollow, where the water will remain under 
or around it, the chicks will soon show the ill-effects of this lack of 
precaution. The roof or cover of the brooders should lie absolutely 
rainproof. If a brooder should become wet from any cause, the chicks 
should be removed to another dry brooder. 

Improper feeding probably does as much as, if not more than, all 
else to increase the death rate of chicks under two weeks of age. To 
this '>ih cause may be attributed at least one-half the failures in the 
poultry business. It may be that the chicks are fed too soon; they 
may be fed too much, either at one time or in the aggregate ; insuffi- 
cient exercise may be afforded the chicks in procuring the grain, thus 
allowing them to get too much food too easily; too much of either 
soft food or of grain, i.e., an unbalanced ration; the mash food fed 
too wet — these and many other similar causes, in connection with feed- 
ing, reduce the percentage of chicks that are raised. A healthy chick 
hatched from an egg laid by good breeding stock in excellent condition 
can have its vitality sapped and really be killed by improper feeding 
in a very short space of time. Incidentally, the contrary is also true. 
Chicks that are somewhat weak at first, with proper care and feeding 
can be built up until their vitality is practically normal. It all depends 
on the quality, kind and proportions of feed given, and the method of 
feeding. 

Knowing the causes of chick mortality, one should do his best to 
keep his chicks from dying by preventing their getting sick. To keep 
the chicks well, change or remove entirely and at once all conditions 
that lean toward any cause or causes that might bring on chick mortal- 
ity. This is the secret of preventing chick mortality. It seems simple 
when learned from those who have "been through the mill," but it is an 
expensive lesson, costing much valuable time and money and labor, if 
one has to learn it by sad experience. An ounce of prevention is worth 
tons of cure! 

White Diarrhoea. 

I luring the past lew years scientists, medical authorities, and prac- 
tical poultrymen have all been trying to ascertain the specific cause of 
white diarrhoea. So far, some valuable progress has been made, but 
much more has yet to be learned regarding the strange malady that is 
i so much by all poultrymen. While the deaths of numberless 
chicks are attributed to white diarrhoea, it is a question in the minds 
of those who have studied this disease whether white diarrhoea is the 
actual cause of the chicks' death or only an accompanying symptom 
that materially aids with other causes in reducing the vitality of the 
chick until it dies. It is generally acknowledged, however, that there 
rtain fundamental causes for the deaths of chicks, and these 
same causes will also foster the disease known as white diarrhoea. 

In a word, the causes that have been given in the early part of 
this chapter will cause chick mortality, and at the same time white 
diarrhoea will undoubtedly be in evidence. 

There are several specific causes of white diarrhoea, as follow : 
Tin condition of the breeding stock; a lack of care in the selection of 
hatching eggs, in their handling and the time they are kept; faulty 
incubation and brooding, and incorrect feeding and care of the chicks, 
particularly at first. 

32 



In this disease, as with general chick mortality, the treatment 
should be one of prevention, based on a knowledge of the causes of the 
disease. See that only thoroughly matured, healthj breeding stock is 
used to supply the hatching eggs. Do not hatch eggs that have been 
laid by very young pullets, nor should immature cockerels be used to 
head the breeding pens. Hens that are to be used in the breeding pens 
should not be forced for a maximum egg production. If they have 
been so forced, the best of their strength has been used up, and they 
cannot lay eggs that will hatch strong, livable chicks. Unsound breed 
ing stock will bring on white diarrhcea in the chicks that will take off 
half a flock in a week. 

Enough has been said in previous chapters about the care of hatch- 
ing eggs, the methods of incubation and brooding, and proper formu- 
las given for the feeding of the chicks, to give even the beginner suffi- 
cient knowledge to enable him to prevent conditions that will be apt to 
start or spread general disease, or white diarrhcea, in his flock. The 
poultryman should be ever on the lookout for the first symptoms of any 
trouble, and as soon as exceptional conditions are noticed the cause or 
causes should be ascertained and at once removed. An ounce of pre- 
vention is worth tons of cure! 



CHAPTER X. 

GROWING THE YOUNG STOCK. 

A chick that is properly handled the fir§t ten days of its life may 
be considered one-quarter raised. After the chick is three weeks old, 
it is practically half raised, and when it reaches the age of six weeks 
it may be pretty roughly treated, yet will live and grow. It is as hard 
to kill a chicken over six weeks of age by injudicious feeding or poor 
care as it is easy the first ten days of its life. 

From the time a chick is two weeks old until it reaches the age of 
six weeks, care should be used not to give it food that will make flesh. 
During this period chicks will take on flesh rapidly, and the result will 
be too heavy a body for the amount of bone and tissue. This causes 
indigestion also, and the chick gets "weak legs." If the food is not then 
changed, the chick will soon die. With a properly balanced ration for 
the chicks at this period, they will make a fair growth without any 
trouble. 

As has been said before, the chick mash should be kept before the 
chicks at all times. The moist mash should be given the chicks ONCE 
a day only during this period, preferably at noon. The first feeding 
early in the morning should be chick food, well scattered in at least 
one inch of litter. The chicks should be made to work for all the 
grain they get in the morning. At night a more generous supply of 
grain may be fed — in the litter, of course. The quantity of grain to be 
fed morning and night will depend entirely on the condition of the 
chicks and the quantity they consume readily. At the night feeding the 
chicks should get all they want and go to bed satisfied, leaving just a 
little grain in the litter. This they will dig for early in the morning 
before the attendant comes around. About half the quantity that is 
given at night will suffice for the morning feeding, but one must use 
his judgment in this matter. 

Chicks should be held back in their development for the first six 
weeks, but from then until maturity they cannot be pushed too hard. 

33 



When the chick passes the age of six weeks, its entire nature 
changes. All the food then goes to build up the frame, hence a chick 
will stand very heavy feeding without adding much tiesh. The chicks 
also show, at this time, that they are becoming tired of the chick feed, 
and a change is necessary. The following developing food may be 
fed morning and night in litter, or may he hopper-fed, if necessary. A 
certain aim. tint of exercise will materially aid the proper growth of 
young birds, hence the feeding of the grain in litter is preferable. 



Developing Food. 

Cracked Corn 50 

Wheat !0 

Kaffir Corn 10 

Millet 2 

\ wheat 2 

The developing food is rich in carbohydrates also, hut young grow- 
ing birds can stand more heat-producing elements. It is fed when the 
begin to show the preference for larger grain than the chick 
feed (at about the ag e or six weeks) — making the change grad- 

ually. This can lie done by introducing this teed with the chick feed 
and gradually increasing the quantity of the developing food and de- 
nount of chick feed, until all developing food is being 
\n abundance of green food (either lawn clippings or sprouted 
oats) should he fed twice every day. 

This method of feeding is continued until the birds become about 
four to four and a half months old. when the scratching food mixture 
and laying mash are gradually substituted. 



Separating the Sexes. 

soon as tin an he detected, they should he separated. In 

the light breeds the cockerels begin to develop their combs and wattles, 
and these become red verj rapidly when the birds are about six or 
seven weeks of age. The heavj breeds are somewhat slower in devel- 
oping these distinguishing marks. Jusl as soon as one is reasonably 
sure, however, the pullets should lie placed in colony coops, and, if 
possible, given free range on a grass lot. If one has not sufficient 
room to give the pullets unlimited range, they should be afforded as 
much roaming space as is possible, and grass must be supplied them 
in abundance. 

After the cockerels have been separated, one should continually be 
on the lookout for poor specimens and those that have glaring defects, 
such as crooked tads, hump backs, poor general shape, etc., etc. The 
best-shaped, best-developed male birds should be put in a separate pen 
and kept for breeders, and the culls fattened for broilers and killed as 
ach about two pounds in weight. 

To fatten broilers they should lie fed all they will eat up clean of 
a grain mixture in the morning. This mixture is composed of two- 
thirds cracked corn and one-third wheat. The grain should be given 
on the floor or ground, where there is no litter, as cockerels should be 
made to exercise and move around as little as possible. At noon they 
be fed all they will eat of a moistened mash mixture. This 

34 



mixture is made similar to the chick mash mixture (formula for which 
is given in the chapter, "Feeding the Chicks"), with the exception that 
the quantity of cornmeal is douhled. At night they are fed another 
liberal feeding of grain, same as in the morning feed. Green food is 
given twice a day. 

All pullets that do not measure up to a certain standard of appear- 
ance, size and general good health should he placed by themselves and 
given special care and food. Certain birds are occasionally kept back 
in their development by being picked on by some of the larger and 
stronger birds in the flock, and thus are unable to gel sufficient food 
for proper growth. These birds, if separated from their antagonists, 
and given a little extra care and attention, plus sufficient nourishing 
food, will frequently make a remarkable gain, and it will not be long 
before thej are again on a par with their fellows and can lie returned 
to their original pens. 

Pullets of different ages should not he put together or they will 
not do well. The older ones will pick on the younger ones and other- 
wise seriously annoy and worn them. 

Neither cockerels nor pullets should he permitted to roost until 
they are put into the laying house (at about the age of five or six 
months). Early roosting will result in crooked breasl bones. 



Providing Shade. 

While shade is of prime importance to chickens of all ages, it is 
a positive necessity to little chicks and young stock. There is nothing 
so debilitating and" enervating to a little chicken as an excess of heat. 

The runs, if there are any, should he so arranged as to include 
whatever natural shade there may he. Shrubbery and small, low- 
hanging trees make excellent shade because of their close proximity 
to the ground. Where these are absent, however, one might plant some 
fruit trees, particularly plum, apple and peach. These grow quickly. 
and will make especially rapid growth owing to the great amount of 
nourishment derived from the droppings of the chickens. 

An excellent method of providing artificial shade for chicks is to 
grow oats or rye in the runs. They should be sown the fall previous 
to the spring when their shade will be needed, but up-to-date, suc- 
cessful poultrymen are always planning from six months to a year 
ahead. Rye and oats grow to a fair height and may he sown so thick 
that it makes a most excellent shade. The young chicks take great 
delight in running in and out amongst -the stalks of grain, and at the 
same time they have the advantage of getting excellent exercise in the 
shade on cool ground. 

Sunflowers make good shade, grow quickly, and at the same time 
yield an actual return in the seed, which, when fully ripened, may be 
fed in moderate quantities with excellent results, especially during 
molting time. Grape vines also make excellent shade which quickly 
becomes available. Both sunflowers and grape vines should he planted 
outside the runs, if one does not want the chickens t«i harvest the 
crops. 

In small coops that are in the sun most of the day, the tempera- 
ture may he lowered considerably by stretching a piece of muslin or 
other light-colored material over it. leaving a four to six-inch air 
space between the muslin and the top of the coop. This muslin serves 
the double purpose of reflecting hack the heat and permitting the hot 
air underneath it to rise out through it. while the air space prevents 
to a great extent the outside heat and the direct rays of the sun from 
beating directly upon and into the coop. 

35 



( II \PTER XL 

SCIENTIFIC FEEDING FOR EGGS. 

Though the egg yield of different breeds of poultry varies, no 
matter what particular variety one may choose, every one who keeps 
chickens on a commercial basis desires a maximum egg yield. By a 
commercial basis, the writer means every flock of chickens except 
those kept solely and purely as a "hobby." Whether it be just a few- 
fowls on a farm or city lot. kept primarily to supply eggs and meat 
for one's own table, or a large plant from which a monetary return, 
or perhaps even a living, is expected by the owner, eggs must he got- 
ten or failure will inevitably result. 

For the poultryman in business primarily to supply fresh i 
for market and eating purposes, a large egg yield is an actual neces- 
sity. The reason a number of poultry plants fail is because they have 
a flock of ordinary egg producers, and the margin between the high 
cost of feed and the moderate egg yield is not sufficient to leave a 
livable profit after other necessary expenses are deducted. The differ- 
ence betw-een the hens of on.- flock tint avi !0 eggs a year, and 
those of another flock which averages L30 eggs per annum, constitutes 
the difference between hens that "don't pay," and a flock of profitable 
chickens. The cream of profit on a poultry plant, which supplies < 
for table use primarily, is gotten from the hens that lay aim 
very year. 

That the quality, quantity and method of feeding controls the egg 
yield to a large extent is acknowledged by all practical poultrymen. 
And that no single, definite rule of feeding can be given for all flocks 
is equally agreed- to by all who keep chickens. Each individual flock is 
a unit in itself, and requires certain treatment to obtain the best re- 
sults. 

While no method should be followed in its entirety, (lure are cer- 
tain fundamental laws and rules regarding egg production that must 
be observed if maximum results are to be had. Ignorance of these 
laws of nature, or indifference thereto, resulting in neglect, will insure 
poor results in general, if it does not entirely foster failure. 

To get eggs from hens we must attend to the details of supplying 
all the elements that are needed by the hen in producing an egg. In 
i place, before man undertook to increase the laying qualities 
of a hen from about 50 eggs a year to 200 or 250, the making of an 
egg as Nature planned wa.s simply and solely an act of reproduction. 
Nature decreed that spring and early summer should be the time this 
should be accomplished, for many reasons. One reason was that ani- 
mal and vegetable life (i.e., the sustenance of the hen) is most plenti- 
ful, and in its mosl succulent form, at this time of the year. Thus a 
uld easily get the kind of food, and plenty of it, that this extra 
duty entailed. Man has been able to extend this period of reproduc- 
tion fn>m a few to almost the entire twelve months of each year. To 
do ' i, it was necessary to observe the "rules of the game" 

as closi 1> as pi issible. 

i without doubt a court of last resort for the surplus 
of the hen. Whatever food a hen consumes necessarilj goes 
to sustain life first — i.e., to repair and replace the tissues and other 
parts of the body that are constantly being used up; to furnish bodily 
warmth, and to store up a certain amount of surplus fat. to be used in 
time of special need, It is only after the normal bodily needs are 
fully supplied that any remaining energy can be put to other use. 
Aside from the normal maternal instinct, the egg production will be 
small or large in direct proportion to the amount of surplus energy a 
in create. 

36 



When we look at an egg as an act of reproduction, possible 
through the hen possessing a certain amount of surplus energ 
immediately see the great importance of proper feeding. It is quite 
out of the question to pursue a haphazard method of feeding and ob- 
tain good results. To feed the proper amount of the different grains, 
one must naturally first know their chemical composition and nutritive 
values. Possessing this knowledge, we are enabled to combine the 
various grains, in proper quantities, to obtain what is commonly known 
as a "balanced ration." Such a ration will give the hen all the kinds 
of feed, in proper proportions, to make eggs. When all other factors, 
such as proper housing, ventilation, cleanliness, etc., are favorable, a 
maximum egg yield should be the inevitable result. 



The Chemical Composition of Grains. 

While the elements that go to make the chemical composition of 
all grains are the same, one grain differs from another insofai 
these elements differ in proportion. Briefly, the elements in all grains 
are as follows: The carbo-hydrates, which are the fats, oils, sugars 
and starches ; protein, an albuminous substance found largely in the 
white of an egg ; ash and mineral matter, which is chiefly what is left 
after the combustible part of the feeding stuff is burned' away; water, 
which is present in all grains, being about 10 per cent, of the body of 
the grain. 

carbo-hydrates go largely to form the fats which are burned 
or stored in the body. This element is turned into bodily heat and 
energy much the same as coal that is burned in a stove, under a 
boiler, goes to make warmth and energy, the latter in the form of 
steam. A hen that is in laying condition should have a little surplus 
fat in her body. This shows that the system is plentifully supplied 
with carbo-hydrates, and there is also some to spare. The first part 
of the egg to be formed is the yolk, which consists of about one-third 
fat and two-thirds protein. The necessity of a surplus of egg-forming 
matter in the hen's system is, therefore, apparent. It would be a v 
mistake, however, to think that by simply increasing the carbo-hydrates 
one will get more eggs. On the contrary, this would only result in the 
hen soon becoming overfat. When in such condition, the tissues are 
weak and flabby and are not strong enough to perform the function 
of egg-making. While an underfed hen cannot lay. an overfat one is 
in little better condition. 

The element of protein is used to form muscle, to build up the 
body, and in egg production. In running around, scratching for fo 
etc., every hen uses up certain tissues which must be replaced or re- 
built. Protein furnishes this most important element, and without it 
a fowl would practically waste away, and could live but a short while. 
An excess of protein is not a "sure egg producer," however. While a 
hen is able to adjust her digestive organs to a certain extent to an 
excess of protein, in the absence of sufficient carbo-hydrates, the kid- 
neys and liver are unduly taxed in an effort to work off the large 
amount of nitrogen in the former element. Such a method of forcing 
egg production would also be quite expensive, as protein is a more 
costlv fuel than carbo-hydrates. 

Not all the ash and mineral matter taken by the hen is used. A 
large proportion, however, is used in making the bones of the fowl, 
and in making egg shells, while the remainder is thrown off as refuse. 
All the ash matter a hen needs in a year cannot be supplied through 
the quantity of this element in the different grains. A hen that lays 

37 



t5'i eggs a year will use in this production alone about one pound and 
a half of mineral matter. Only about half a pound can he procured 
from the ash contained in the different grains, which leaves about a 
pound to be obtained from some other source. Tin'-- is generally sup- 
plied by keeping oyster shell or mortar (both rich in lime) before the 
henr, all the time, in which case the hen will take care of the balanc- 
ing of this part of the ration herself. 

From this survey of the situation one can easily see the impor- 
tance — nay, absolute necessity— -of giving the hens the proper propor- 
tions nf the elements needed, if a big egg yield is desired. Hens that 
are keeping their bodies in the "pink of condition," and at the same 
time are making il-- (sometimes one a day), arc working at topnotch 
speed, as it were. Such results cannot he obtained if a limited or 
improper variety of fuel is given. 

In the first place, no matter what food is fed, it should he sound 
and sweet. Poor grain will give poor results, regardle-s of how it 
may he fed and in what proportions. To give hens corn that has 
been or is heated or mold) ; to feed so-called "chicken-wheat," which 
is nothing more than burnt grain that is good for nothing, but is 
sometimes thoug enough for poultry; to feed sweepings just 

because the\ cost a feu cents a hundred less; to feed any kind of 
grain, in fact, that is not perfectlj sound and sweet and wholesome, 
and of the best grade or quality, simply means that the hens receiving 
such feed will be an ordinary flock of fowls "that don't pay." It is 
not the fault of the lieu-, half as much as it is the fault of the owner 
if they don't pay. lit who Mints on the grain hill by feeding poor 
grain, or too little, is a perfect example of the "penny wise and pound 

sh" type. 



Balanced Rations. 

It is undoubtedly necessary to feed a variety to gel good results, 
but to get a maximum egg yield the different grains that are fed must 
be given in proper proportions. A feed containing the proper pro- 
portion of all the necessary nutrients is a "balanced ration." 

From experiments it has been found that the nutrients a hen re- 
quires are approximately as follows: Protein, in per cent.; carbo- 
hydrates, 42 per cent.; ash, 2 per cent.: dry matter, I.") to 50 per cent. 
From this table we see that the protein (in per cent.) in comparison 
with tin- carbohydrates (42 per cent.) has a ratio of l to t (or, as it 
is generally written, 1:4). This is undoubtedly tin lust (and proper) 
ratio for egg production. I orn analyzes as follows: Protein, 7.9 per 
cent.; carbohydrates, 7 < V . 4 per cent. This is a ratio of almost 1:10— 
far from the ideal egg ratio. A glance at this tells why it is futile to 
expect to get a maximum egg yield by feeding corn alone. 

While the ratio of 1:4 is right for an egg ration, there are other 
rations, for instance: A growing ration for young stock; a mainte- 
nance ration — that is. enough for life; a fattening ration, such as is 
used for fattening fowls for market. All these ration- are somewhat 
similar, the changes being made according to the results desired. Many 
persons use corn meal to fatten birds, hut, if asked why, would prob- 
ably be unable to give a satisfactory reason. \ -lance at the an 
of corn meal makes the matter clear at once: Portein, 6.3 per cent.; 
carbohydrates, 7:;. 2 per cent. — a ratio of 1:11. Thus, for fattening 
fowds we use a ration weaker in protein and richer in carbohydrates — 
the fat-forming element. 

38 



By long and continued experimenting, in time one might be able 
to find a ration that would be satisfactory, but few of us have time 
or money to spend in trying such experiments. On the contrary, with 
but an elementary knowledge of the science of feeding, and a table 
of analyses of the different grains, one can sit down and with little 
difficulty formulate rations with certaint} as to their theoretical value, 
and with reasonable anticipation of achieving the best results. Such a 
course leaves but little to guesswork. 

How to Find the Nutritive Ratio. 

To find the nutritive ratio of any ration, between tlie caroohy- 
drates and fats, and the protein, it is first necessarj to multiply the 
weight of the clear fat b; ause it is considered 2' 4 times as 

valuable to the digestion as the carbohydrates. The product is then 
added to the carbohydrates, and both are considered as carbohydrates. 
The protein is then divided into the carbohydrates, and the result is the 
nutritive ratio. Thus is the table { he nutrients a laying hen 

requires, we may find it written: Carbohydrates, 35 per cent.; fat (or 
clear fat), 3 per cent.; protein, 10 per cent.: ash, 2 per cent. To find 
the ratio, we multiply the fat (3 per cent.) 1> tailing (about) 7, 

which is added to the carbohydrates (35 per cent.), equalling 42 — the 
total carbohydrates. In order to reduce the proportion to its lowest 
terms, this 42 is divided by the protein (10 per cent.), giving us the 
ratio of 1.4. 

in order to find the nutritive value of a ration, we must know the 
chemical analysis of the different grains. The following table gives 
the amount of digestible nutrients in the principal grain us< 
feeding poultry. In this table the clear fat lias been included under 
the heading carbohydrates: 

Feed. . Ish. 

Beef scraps 66.2 

Dried fish 44.1 

Animal meal 32.0 

Oil meal 29.3 

Gluten meal 25.8 

Gluten feed L9.4 

Green cut 1 >< me 18.0 

Peas 

Wheat Middlings 

Wheat bran L2.2 

Sunflower seeds 12. l 

Oatmeal 11.5 

Alfalfa U.O 

Wheat L0.2 

Wheat screenings 9.8 

Oats ~ 9.2 

Millet 8.9 

Barley 8.9 

Corn 7.9 

Buckwheat 7.7 

Corn meal 6.3 

Skimmed milk 2.9 

Cabbage L8 

Beets 1.1 

Turnips 1.0 

Potatoes 9 

Kaffir corn 5.8 



39 



33.1 


4.1 


23 2 


39.2 


23.0 


19.5 




."> . ■ ! 




.8 




1.1 


43.0 


21.5 


:,:;.! 


2.6 


60.'i 


3.8 


4.-).:: 


5.8 


85.8 


2.6 


65.6 


2.9 


42.3 


7.4 


73.0 


1.8 


55.9 


2.9 




3.0 


52.2 


3.3 


69.2 


2.4 


76. 1 


L.5 


53.3 


2.0 




I.I 




.7 


P.l 


1.4 


10.4 


1.1 


7.6 


.8 


16.5 


l.n 


56.7 


i.:; 



260.7 


2521 2 


336.0 


2409.0 


92.8 


907.2 


■ 


1 56.6 


12.1 


35.8 


7.7 


53.3 



Skimmed milk, cabbage, beets, turnips and potatoes have from S5 
to 90 parts water in 100. 

An illustration of the use of this table, and the method of finding 
the ratio of a mixture, follow: 



Scratching Food Formula. 

Lbs. Prot. 

Cracked Corn :;:; 

33 

i affii I -i 16 

:; 

Sunt 1 ! i\\ er Seeds 1 

Buckwheat 1 

Ratio—] : 8.3 ?3G 6133.1 



For instance, we multiply the quantity (or parts) — corn, '■'.'■'< pounds 
—by tin proportion of nutrients according to the table of analysis: 
Protein, 7.9 — carbohydrates, 76.4, thus getting the amount of protein 
and carbohydrates in the various items. \\e then total all the amounts, 
and divide the carbohydrates by the protein, giving us the nutritive 
value or ratio. 

formula of any kind should lie followed in an iron-bound, 
steadfast way, without any deviation whatever. The time of the year 
and the condition of the fowls naturally necessitate slight changes. A 
little observation will tell us what the hens do not need or like — -it 
will lie the last thine, eaten — hut care must lie used, however, not to 
give them, or let them, eat only the things they like — chickens must 
lie treated like children with cand\ in this respect. USE YOUR 
VIENT— that's what it was given for' There's a world of ad- 
vice in that one sentence. 

In winter, for instance, the amount of cracked corn, or Kaffir corn, 
should he increased about one-quarter to one-half. During the sum- 
mer, the amount of these heat producing grains should he cut down 
somewhat from the quantities given in the formula, as is also the case 
during the moulting season, when the hens are very apt to take on fat. 
The amount of sunflower seeds and buckwheat is also varied accord- 
on and weather: as it gets warmer, these are cut down 
'IV half each, and during the moulting period and on very cold days 
they might he doubled. Barley (about It; lbs.) may he added occa- 
sionally to give a greater variety, but it is not necessary to follow 
this up indefinitely. With the addition of the barley, the ratio is 
changed to ^ :S.l. 

The scratching food should he fed early in the morning and a full 
hour or more before -unset in the afternoon. On an average, one 
quart is fed to every 20 hens. Birds of the light breeds will not re- 
nte a- much as this. Mere again the use of judgment will pay 
profitably. When one finds the hens do not seem to have much relish 
for the food and do not dig after it in the litter, the quantity should be 
cui down until the appetite improves. Of course, the grain should be 
fed in six or eight inches of litter, or it may he raked or spaded into 
lie hens should be made to WORK for what 
they i 

40 



It might seem that the Scratching Fond Formula was a fattening 
ration, but this grain mixture should be fed in connection with a mash 
food. The method in its entirety brings the whole into a well-bal- 
anced ration. Following is the laying mash formula: 



Laying Mash Food Formula. 

Prot. Carb. 

Corn meal 30 

Middlings 30 

Beef scraps 23 

Wheat bran 15 

OiL meal 5 

Alfalfa 10 



L89.0 


2196.0 


384.0 


1821.0 


1655. 


827 a 


183.0 


679 5 


146.0 


242.5 


11 1.0 


423.0 



2678.5 6189 5 



Ratio— 1 :2.3. 



This, as ran be seen, is a lower ratio than 1 :4. and when this mash 
is used with the scratching food, we have a well-balanced egg-produc- 
ing ration. If so desired, beef scraps ran be fed extra, increasing the 
proportion of protein, but this is not absolutely necessary. Wheat 
bran, if kept before the fowls continually, is excellent in furnishing a 
bulky food so necessan to counteract the consumption of too much 
concentrated food (grain, etc.). 

The usual mistake in compounding a ration is to get an excess of 
carbohydrates over protein, with the result that the hen is unable to 
throw off the surplus heat and soon becomes overfat. Keeping this in 
mind, one should try to balance the ration so that an excess i 
thing (protein over carbohydrates, for instance) will be count. 
by including another grain in which that particular element is weaker, 
etc. 

The writer believes in a slightly moistened mash, particularly in 
winter, when it should be fed hot. One will have to reckon the quan- 
tity to be fed by the actions of the hens themselves. Ordinarily, the 

hens should consume about one-half as much mash as scratching i 1 

Not more should be given than the hens will consume (with avidity) 
in fifteen or twenty minutes. What is left should be removed. A little 
experience will teach one how much to prepare each day. Feed the 
mash food about noon. 

The mash food should be prepared as follows: Take a certain 
quantity of the mash mixture in a pail and an equal amount (in bulk) 
of alfalfa, in another pail (this alfalfa has nothing to do with the 
quantity of alfalfa already in the mash food — it is in excess of that). 
Hot water (the hotter the better) is poured on the alfalfa (which 
soaks up a large quantity), until it is thoroughly saturated. About one 
quart of water is sufficient for three quarts of alfalfa. The alfalfa is 
covered and allowed to steam, on the back of the stove, for about half 
an hour. The dry mash mixture is then added to and thoroughly 
mixed with this alfalfa. The quantity of moisture in the alfalfa is just 
about right to make a crumbly mixture — that is, when some is taken 
into the hand and squeezed, it will crumble away when the hand is 
opened. Under no circumstances should the mash, when fed, be 
"mucky" or sloppy. A little practice will make one proficient in the 
amount of water to be put on the alfalfa, so that when the dn mash 

41 



is added the entire mixture will be of the proper consistency. In 
winter a little red pepper and salt can be added, but the red pepper 
should be omitted as tfi< weather grows warm. In summer fresh-cut 
lawn clippings are fed for green food, in place of the alfalfa, and then 
the mash food can be fed without the alfalfa, either slightly mois- 
tened or entirely drj . 

Little has been said aboul the keeping of grit, oyster -hells, and 
the "chickens' medicine" — charcoal — before the fowls at all tunes, as 
this "goes withoul saying." Fresh water is another thing under the 
same heading. Warm (tepid i water should be given the bens two or 
three times daily in tin winter. Fresh, cool, pure water should he 
supplied frequently in summer. 

The use of stimulating compounds in the feeding oi poultry is 
something poultrymen old in experience will never tolerate — much less 
advise. A prominent poultryman has well said: "A man going out to 
feed his flock needs to take along with him more judgment than feed.'' 
Small is the judgment that produces eggs (temporarily) by the use of 

ulants. A ben that is laying a fair number of eggs is like a piece 
. mism. When running at high rate, if the speed is further 
;ed and greater pressure added, something will get hot— and 
snap ! 

Xol only is the present or shortly ensuing state of the (owls' 
naterialh lowered by the use of stimulants, but the vitality 
H d caum >i si » m be replaced. 



CHAPTER XII. 

HOW TO GET A MAXIMUM EGG YIELD IN 
WINTER. 

To get eggs during the winter months, when the price oi eggs is 
highest, thus bringing in the greatest net profit, is the ardent de 
every poultryman's heart. Some people look on this as an extraordi- 
nary feat, spoken of by many, but somehow accomplished only by a 
lucky few. Those who have the temerity to say that they ARE getting 
fair egg yield during October, November, December or January, in 
reply to that eternal question: "Getting any eggs?" are frequently 
upon as eligible members of the Ananias (dull. But after all, 
to gef winter eggs is not an impossibility, but they can be had if all 
the "rules of the game" are observed. Naturally, one must first know 
"rules" before thej can be followed. 

An egg being an act of reproduction, it would naturally be ex- 
pected to be accomplished solely as nature originally decreed, but Man 
(with a big capital "M") has seen lit to try to improve on nature and 
has apparently so far succeeded that the time of reproduction in the 
i chickens has been extended from its original f»eriod of a lew 
months m spring and early summer, until it now embraces all the twelve 
months of the year. But though Man lias gotten thus far ahead of 
Nature, as it were, he must ever turn back and obey at least some of 
the laws hi' finds he cannot change, 

The natural reproducing time of most animals is during spring 
am.l summer, when everything is bright and fresh and green, when 
bugs, worms and various other kinds of succulent nourishment abound 
m profusion, when it is warm and comfortable for both old and young. 
Therefore, the poultrykeeper who desires eggs in winter— that is. forces 

42 



reproduction at an unnatural time of the year— to gel the best result.-. 
musl profit by what he learns from nature and make winter as near 
like summer, in all its phases, as he ran. He must bluff the hen into 
believing that winter is summer, and when the hen rails the bluff, the 
poultryman must be able to furnish a mighty good imitation, otherwise 
the hen comes off winner, to the detriment of the egg receipts. 

That a maximum egg yield in winter is fostered by housing the 
hens in warm, dry, comfortable coo),- is acknowledged by all practical 
poultrymen. It is quite impossible to get a large number of eggs when 
the hens have to roost in any coop or box that happens to be available 
or when they are kept in damp, draughty quarters. A hen that is 
comfortable in the full sense of the word — that is. warm, well led, dry, 
protected from the cold, biting winds of winter, afforded sufficient 
exercise and so forth— simply cannot keep from laying. One of the 
reasons that hens lay so many more eggs in summer than they lay in 
winter is that they are comfortable; they have plenty of green food; 
are warm, and, if wet from being out during a rain, are not apt to 
take cold, but will dry .iff quickly. All this means that the hen does 
not have to use so much energy in summer in taking care of the 
bodily wants and, therefore, can place this energy toward egg pro- 
duction. 

The animal food the chickens naturally get in summer in the 
shape of insects, worms, etc., may be easily duplicated in winter by 
supplying commercial beef scraps, ground bone, etc. As the hen must 
chase (sometimes long and far) for one grasshopper, or a bug, and 
only gets a comparatively small supply in the aggregate during a day, 
the rich beef scraps should be fed sparingly and with discretion. If 
left to its own choice, a hen may eat more of this rich food than is 
good for it, much as a child would gorge itself with candy, if pos- 
sible, in preference to bread. 

To get eggs in winter, one must provide the hens with sufficient 
exercise. This item, so often overlooked, is quite as important as the 
feeding of the hens. It is essential to both large egg production and 
the general good health of the fowls, liens that are fed grain on a 
hard floor, so that they can pick it up easily without having to work 
for it, will not pay for their keep. Such birds will lib up their crops 
in the morning and remain on the roosts most id' the day. Proper 
exercise will not only keep the hen in line condition, but will give the 
various organs of the bird the necessary vitality to produce eggs in 
fair quantities. The best method of affording sufficient exercise, when 
the fowds are confined in the coops, day after day, throughout the long 
winter months, is to feed the grain mixture (scratching food, as it is 
frequently called) in deep litter. This litter should be ai least six 
inches deep, and if it is composed of rye straw, for instance, which 
breaks up easily, this depth should be from eight to ten inches at first. 
As the hens scratch in this litter for the grain, the straw will break 
into short pieces, and more full-length straw can be added from time- 
to time. It is really a pleasant sight to .see a number of fowls at the 
feeding time (and for some time thereafter) digging in litter for 
their food and "singing" their delight. This "singing" is what fore- 
tells nests filled with other than china eggs! 

When putting the bens into their winter quarters care should be 
exercised not to overcrowd the birds. It is a mistake to think that 
one can put fifty birds where but forty should go and then have as 
good results. Then the birds roost to,, closely at night in the cold 
winter: they are apt to sweat, and upon coming down on the floor of 
the coop will undoubtedly take cold. This means the starting of dis- 
ease and trouble which will be hard to eradicate. 

43 



Another principal requirement for getting winter eggs is to have 
good foundation stock. That like produces like is one of the un- 
changeable laws of nature. Xi « <>ne would expect to breed race 
from truck horse stock; then why expect to breed winter layers from 
summer-laying parent stuck? To get chickens that will lay in winter, 
tin. re i ( ire, we must breed from parent stock that are good winter 
layers and whose ancestors for many generations back have been win- 
ter layers. Gel the chicks batched early so that they may be well ma- 
tured and in line condition to lay before winter comes on. A late 
hatched chick simply cannot mature before the winter comes on, and 
as growth and development progress very slowly during the cold 
weather, egg laying -imply lias to be deferred until after the ben is 
quite matured, thus bringing it well toward spring before she starts 
laying. I'\ getting the hatches off early, and quickly, and successfully 
maturing the young stock, the chances of getting eggs in winter will 
be increased fifty per cent. 

It is a mistake to let the hens out on the cold, wet ground during 
the winter. The amount of blood that is continually circulating 
through the legs of the hens is surprising, and if the birds stand 
armmd on wet, cold ground it will seriously affect the egg yield. For 
this same reason the floor of the pens should not be permitted to get 
wei or become damp, liens that are used to one place in winter will 
not mind being cooped up, provided they are dry and warm. But it is 
quite out of the question to expect a hen to keep itself warm when 
standing in snow or slush or upon wet ground. 

Another aid to a large egg yield in winter is to supply warm 
water, instead of giving the bens ice-cold water. While fowls will not 
drink quite as much water during the winter as during the hot months, 
ye:: they require clean water as much at one time as another. The first 
thing in the morning the water jars or founts should be filled with 
water which has had the chill taken from it by adding a little warm 
water. The birds will show their appreciation of this by drinking, even 
if \<j<j(\ is offered at the same time. They seem to want to drink the 
first thing in the morning. At night the water founts should he 
emptied and turned over, or so placed that no dirt or litter can he 
scratched in before the) are tilled in the morning. When the birds 
are fed at noon, the water jars should In- inspected to see if they 
need refilling. When filled at noon, there will probably he enough to 
lasl lor the remainder- of the day. Be sure about this, for a large 
per cent, of the egg is water, and the hen needs it in egg-making. Do 
not make the hens pick at snow or frozen water if you wish winter 
eggs and good healthy birds. 

When the work for the night has been completed, and one is 
ready to go to the house, take up the grain that you will want to use 
in the morning. This should be put into a large baking or roasting 
pan, and placed in the oven to warm the first thing in the morning. 
This grain will hold the heat for some little time after it is fed, and 
the birds relish this warm grain. This same thing should he done 
in the morning with the evening's quota oi grain. 

Last, hut far, far from least, is the matter of green food. Put 
a number of laying hens in early summer into a new run that has a 
carpet of four or rive inches of grass on it, and note in a few days 
tin wonderful change the chickens have wrought. Some of the grass 
has been scratched up at the roots, of course, hut probably 90 per cent. 
Oi more has beer eaten by the chickens, and in less than a week 
scarcely a single green blade is left. This is simply another important 
attribute of eggs in summer. Then doesn't it appeal to one*s common 
sense that green food of some kind positively MUST be supplied in 
winter, if eggs are to he bad? Green food, besides being a bulky food, 

44 



is also very rich in protein, and protein, as we know, is a prime requi- 
site in egg production. It may be easily supplied in steamed alfalfa, 
sprouted oats, cabbages, beets, etc., but green food of some descrip- 
tion is an absolute necessity. Winter eggs and green food are quite 
synonymous terms. 

These are but a few of the most important things that must be 
supplied to the hens in winter to induce and aid egg production, and 
the poultryman who treats his hens as generously in winter as they 
are able to treat themselves in summer will have little cause to com- 
plain of an empty egg basket. 

Results are what everyone is after in all lines of business. Re- 
sults in the poultry business are frequently spelt e-g-g-s — get them by 
all means — fair means, and "fowl"! 



CHAPTER XIII. 

MARKETING POULTRY PRODUCTS AT 
TOP-NOTCH PRICES. 

One of the most important requisites of a successful poultry busi- 
ness is a profitable market. No matter what kind of products may be 
produced on a place, or how varied if they cannot be disposed of prof- 
itably the plant can only be classed as a hobby. 

The market must be one that will not only take all the goods 
that the poultryman has to offer, but will also pay prices sufficient 
to cover the actual cost of production and to leave a fair net profit. 
The market for the very best quality of fresh eggs is almost unlim- 
ited. Although thousands of new poultry plants are started every 
year, the demand for eggs is still far in excess of the supply. 

The production of eggs for table use is one of the most profitable 
branches of the poultry business. 

Large hotels in all the principal cities use daily an enormous quan- 
tity of strictly fresh eggs. The writer knows of one moderate! 
hotel in New York City that guaranteed to use all the eggs from a 
poultry farm that kept about fifteen thousand hens. Ami such con- 
sumption is not at all uncommon. As a rule, yearly contracts are 
made for a guaranteed delivery of so many crates a day at a stipu- 
lated annual price, which in some cases runs as high as fifty cents a 
dozen. This, it is true, is a market for the larger poultry-keepers; 
beginners and smaller poultrymen cannot hid, for the simple reason 
that they cannot produce eggs in sufficient quantities to till the orders, 
But statistics prove that only about 5 per cent, of the eggs consumed 
in the United States are produced by the so-called big poultry plants — 
that is, plants with over a thousand laying hens. This leaves an enor- 
mous market to be supplied by those poultrymen who have smaller 
flocks. 

The poultryman who has about four or rive hundred laying hens 
would find it nearly impossible to retail his eggs a dozen or two at a 
time, but there is an excellent market waiting just a step away from 
the retail customer — the restaurants, the soda fountains, and the better 
class of delicatessen stores constitute this market. They demand the 
very best eggs, and the prices range within a few cents a dozen of 
the highest paid. There are many such places in the cities that use 
every week from one to six cases of strictly fresh eggs. In some 

45 



instances these stores buy the best eggs they can get from the com- 
mission men, but would be delighted to get new-laid eggs directly from 
the producer. A market of this kind can easily be worked up by the 
average poultryman, and will prove highly profitable. 

Clubs and hospitals use a .ureal many eggs, and these must be 
of the very best quality. The numerous sanitariums throughout the 
country for the treatment of nervous troubles and tuberculosis offer a 
good market. 

If one can produce fancy eggs for a retail market, getting top 
prices for them, his net profit at the end of the year will be as great 
as, if not greater than, could be obtained from any other branch of 
the busim 

To build up a retail trade for select table eggs, one must, of course, 
produce eggs of superior quality; it is on the merit of these that the 
poultryman keeps desirable customers. Those who do a direct retail 
business know that a satisfied customer is the best kind of an adver- 

ient. 

An important point in marketing eggs is the method of preparing 
t hem fur delivery. Eggs half covered with dirt and of three or four 
different colors, shapes, and sizes are far from attractive. All dirt 
should be carefully wiped from fancy table eggs with a damp cloth 
until they are well-nigh spotless. They will dry quickly if placed on a 
cloth or wire tray, and when dry should lie packed in cartons — the 
size that holds one dozen being the most satisfactory. 

< onsiderable care should be used in selecting eggs for packing. 
Under no circumstances should they be put into the cartons promiscu- 
ously, and no spotted, rough, thin-shelled or very small eggs should be 
sent out. All eggs should be carefully tested, and any that are double- 
yolked or that contain blood-spots should be discarded. The eggs 
that are thus rejected can be used at home. A large egg should not be 
packed next to a small one. nor a dark-shelled egg between two light 
ones. In a word, only neat, sound eggs should be sold, if one would 
get the highest price for them. A little care in cleaning and boxing 
the eggs makes all the difference between a favorable and unfavorable 
first impression when the customer opens the box. 

The carton may be neatly labeled with the number and grade of 
if. eggs and the name of the poultry farm where they were produced. 
Tlie advertising received from this practice will more than repay the 
small cost of printing. It need scarcely be said that eggs must be 
delivered at the earliest possible date. In winter they may be held a 
week and siill be considered fresh, but in summer they must be dis- 
tributed every day or two. 

\~ a source of revenue and profit to the poultryman, the selling of 
day-old chicks is of great value. Though of comparatively recent 
origin, this branch of the business has even now assumed enormous 
tions, and the strides that have been made in the past few years 
atiest the fax or it has found on all sides. It is necessary that the 
chicks come from strong, healthy stock, and that they be hatched 
properly and boxed well, to obtain and hold a market of this kind. 
Under such circumstances the distance which day-old chicks may be 
shipped with comfort and safety is surprising. 

production and sale of hatching eggs makes another remuner- 
ative source for the wide-awake poultryman through which he may 
market his poultry products at good prices. The prices received for 
either hatching eggs or day-old chicks vary greatly, according to the 
slock' and whether it is a utility strain or an exhibition strain. Adver- 
tising in local poultry papers will usually bring more orders than one 
car, fill, and as the quality of stock becomes better known, this demand 
will increase with the enlarging of the plant. 

46 



While one is largely compelled to accept whatever price the mar- 
ket is paying for broilers, at the time they are sold, early broilers will 
naturally bring the best prices. This is another strong" argument in 
favor oi getting the chicks hatched early. The average price received 
for fancy broilers, in the open market, about July 1st, is 38 to 40 cents 
per pound. By July 15th this price has dropped to 30 cents. Around 
the first of August it is 2:. cents, and by August 10th it is only about 
20 cents per pound. This clearly indicates where the best prici 
greatest profit lie. To dispose of broilers to private families is, of 
course, most remunerative. 

The secret (if it be one) of getting highest prices is to have 
highest-quality goods. The quality must not only be brought to the Al 
standard, but it must be religiously kept there," with no deterioration 
whatsoever. In every line of business there is now, and always will 
be, a demand for the BEST that far exceeds the supply. One does 
not have to seek a market for poultry products— it is waiting. \\ hy 
be satisfied with ordinary goods and ordinary prices? Keep only the 
best stock and get the best prices. It may cost a little more at" first 
to get on this basis, but soon the added receipts will more than 
matters up and leave an enviable profit besides. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
SELECTING AND MATING THE BREEDERS. 

The careful selection of the birds that are to go into the breed- 
ing pen will more than repay one for the time and trouble taken. Not 
only is it decidedly advantageous from many points of view, but it is 
absolutely necessary if one expects to maintain the vigor and increase 
the egg yield of his flock. As the principle reason for mating up spe- 
cial pens is to get fertile eggs, it is also necessary to look to the fact 
that improper matings will not hatch strong, livable chicks, and con- 
tinued breeding from inferior matings will quickly run any flock of 
fine chickens into worse than mongrels. Every large successful poultry 
plant is successful because those in charge understand breeding, and 
have a definite method which they follow closely in mating up their 
breeding pens. "Hit-or-miss" breeding is inexcusable on any poultry 
plant, whether it is run for pleasure or profit. That means it is inex- 
cusable at all times. 

The importance of selecting the best males for breeders is -elf- 
evident. The male is half the breeding pen, and results, whethei 
or ill, will be in direct proportion to the qualities the male pos 
Poor results, from using inferior males in the breeding pen, may not 
be noticed at once, but a year or two later they will become apparent. 
Considerable labor will then have to be expended before the harm 
that has been done can be eradicated. 

In choosing birds for the breeding pen. one of the most important 
requisites every bird should possess is GOOD HEALTH, and a plenti- 
ful supply of "red-blood" vitality. It should make no difference how 
perfect a comb a bird possesses or what is its shape or color or other 

fine points, a | r state of general health should disbar it from being 

used as a breeder. It should make no difference if the bird has had 
a disease and seemed to have entirely rcovered. The taint of the 
disease remains, and such a bird will transmit the tendency to the off- 
springy To use birds as breeders that have had roup at any previous 
time will be banking up trouble for one's self in direct proportion to 

47 



the number of birds that are so used. Any hen that has had diarrhoea 
will transmit this deadly disease to the offspring, through the egg, and 
the result will be a large proportion of youngsters that are sickly and 
puny. The requisite of excellent health in birds chosen as breeders 
cannot be too strongly emphasized, as it controls to a very large ex- 
tent the results, and, in many cases, the success or failure, that will be 
achieved in the future. 

The general condition of the birds' health is reflected in their 
appearance. All birds that arc in "the pink of condition" are naturally 
active. The male will try (and generally succeed) to achieve the title 
of "Boss of the Ranch." lie will be able to best all the weaker males 
in the pen, and lie will sometimes turn his combative propensities to- 
ward even the attendant! The female usually shows her vitality in a 
larg • egg yield, as well as by general good health. She is on the 
move from morning until night, scratching for the last piece of grain 
to fill her already overcrowded crop. Her comb is red — a bright red— 
and her general appearance is that of business-like activity. 

Naturally, birds suffering from any serious defect should not be 
chosen as breeders. By this is meant such shortcomings as wry tails; 
il shape; white shanks where yellow are desired, or vice 
versa; a greenish or grayish-colored eye when bay'or brown or some 
other color is preferable; crooked backs or breast hones: flopped 
combs where they should he upright; points --ticking out from the 
single comb where then should he none, called "side sprigs"; black 
feathers in birds of whit': plumage- these, and, in fact, any startling 
items nee from what is found in the standard bird of the 

breed, should disbar such birds from the breeding pens. Such defects 
will not only greatly mar the good appearance of one's llock, but will 
seriously interfere with the sale of stock, hatching eggs, or day-old 
chicks. Of course, such defects as a torn comb or a bruised wattle. 
resulting from such exterior c fight with another bird, would 

not in the least mar a bird's use as a breeder. 

The breeders, both male and female, should he well-matured. 
Very late-hatched birds cannot mature in time and be of sufficient 
size and vigor to he used as breeders the following year. Males that 
are a little <>\er a year old. if early hatched and well grown, mated 
with hens that are two years old, will give excellent results in fer- 
tility ami hatchability. Females that are used as breeders should be 
large for the breed, for the si/e of the female largely governs the size 
of the offspring. A mating of yearling hens, or pullets that have 
passed through and finished their first laying period (i.e., when they 
are a little over a year old), mated with a two-year-old cock bird, 
will not give quite as good fertility as the mating just described, but 
the chicks that are hatched will be exceptional^ strong and possess a 
maximum amount of vitality. 



Line Breeding vs. Inbreeding. 

Poultrymen frequently resort to what is known as "line breeding" 
to produce certain desired results. This is breeding birds, which at 
firsl ma\ he closely related, that possess as far as possible the particu- 
tures sought, and then taking the best of the offspring from 
this mating and crossing these with the parent stock. As line breeding 
proceeds, the results desired should become more clearly defined, and 
the relationship) of the birds mated (by losing one point each year) 
continually grows farther and farther apart, while the natural vitality 
of the (lock steadily improves. 

48 



Inbreeding, on the contrary, is mating birds that are closely re- 
lated, and then permitting the offspring to mate together again, this 
continuing year after year. For the first and second years the evil 
effects of such a method (or neglect, as the case may be) may nol be 
particularly noticeable. The third year, or positively by the fourth 
year, the lowered vitality of the stock will clearly show itself. The 
flock will be subject to all kinds of diseases, and bird after bird will 
become ill and die from very slight causes. The egg yield will fall 
rapidly to a very low point. Fertile eggs will be few and far be- 
tween, and the chicks that do hatch will have a hard time of it. usually 
being scrawny, poorly developed, and their chances of growing to ma- 
turity are decidedly small. 

some one says, in line breeding one begins with birds closely 
related. This may or may not be true. Usually the first pair is closely 
related, because they possess most fully the points desired, and the 
I knows their "past." But sometimes two unrelated birds can 
be procured that have sufficient similarity in the points desired to start 
the strain. This is, of course, preferable. But even where the first 
pair of birds are related, in line breeding the female offspring is 
crossed with the sire, and the male offspring is crossed with th< 
inal female. Thus a point in relationship is already lost. Ever; 
by this method of crossing, the relationship is lost, point by point, and 
the danger of bad results from the first inbred mating hardly i • 
comes apparent. In inbreeding the first pair is mated, and the off- 
spring is mated together, and the offspring of these birds are again 
mated together, the relationship continuing so close that none but 
the worst effects can be had. 



How to Select the Laying Hen. 

Naturally, it is desirable to breed from those liens that are the 
besl layers or the offspring of tine layers, so as to improve the laying 
Qualities of the flock generally. It is impossible to tell exactly just 
which birds are the best layers in a flock unless trap nests or some 
similar device has been used. This will immediately show up the 
good layers, as well as the drones. To breed from a hen that has 
laid two hundred eggs in a year will be more likely to produce off- 
spring that will be in the two hundred class than if hens that laid onl} 
one hundred and twenty eggs in a year are used. "Like begets like" 
to a very large extent, and this law is applicable to the matings of 
poultry in particular. 

Where one has a large flock and perhaps insufficient time to trap- 
nest the entire flock, it is quite possible to tell which are the better 
layers from their appearance alone. A good layer will generally be 
the last bird to go to roost at night, and the first off in the morning. 
It makes little difference whether one figures that the hen wants the 
food to make the egg or whether the growth of the egg compels the 
hen to hunt for more feed — the layer is always a "hustler." 

A long body is usually an excellent indication of a good layer. 
If such a bird has a broad, low fluff she is undoubtedly one of the 
best to choose as a breeder, and will surely improve the egg yield. 
She should also have a large, broad breast, indicating large crop ca- 
pacity, so essential to good egg production. A bright eye, bright red 
comb, legs set well apart, general good health, and plenty of activity 
are all sure indications that a hen will "produce the goods." _ Close 
study of the individual birds will soon enable one to pick his best 
layers without the aid of trap nests, though the use of the latter 
precludes any possibility of doubt. 

49 



When the proper feed is given, and other conditions are favorable, 
one should have little trouble in breeding a large flock that will aver- 
age well above one hundred and fifty eggs a year. The average egg 
yield of the poultry in the United States, including that kept on the 
farms, etc., is less than eighty eggs per hen per year! And yet, on 
the contrary, a flock of six hens, in a recent egg-laying contest held in 
Australia, laid L,589 eggs in one year — an average of about 265 eggs 
for each one of the six hens! Such a pen is not a haphazard accident, 
but is the direct result of careful breeding with a definite purpose in 
view. A record of this kind shows what can be done with 
foundation stock that is properly bred, properly fed, and properly 
cared for. 



When to Mate the Breeding Pen. 

Those who desire early hatched chicks from winter-laying birds 
(and these are the profitable ones) usually mate up their breeding pens 
about the first of the year, certainly by the middle of Februarj at the 
latest. As the eggs from a mating will not run sufficiently fertile to 
hatch strong chicks much before ten days or so, if one mates up his 
breeders about the first week in January he should be able to begin 
saving eggs for hatching about the middle of the month. If he sets 

i after two weeks' accumulation, or about the first of February, he 
should have a fine lot of youngsters running around before the first 
of March. With proper care and feeding these chicks should mature 
and lay by about the first of September. As the older hens are begin- 
ning to moult about this time, the eggs laid by those early hatched 
pullets will come at just the right time to fill in the gap that is made 
in the egg yield by the non-production of eggs by the moulting hens. 
Those who fear that the pullets hatched in the latter part of February 
will moult after laying for a while, can obviate any danger of this by 
waiting about two or three weeks before they start hatching in the 
spring. 



CHAPTER XV. 

HOW TO GET FERTILE AND HATCHABLE EGGS. 

To get a better percentage of fertility, and eggs that will batch 
well, it is best to keep the male birds away from the females all during 
the winter, or at least for about two or three weeks previous to the 
time the matings are to be made. This will give the male bird more 
vitality; he will be more attentive to the hens when they run together, 
and the result will be a greater number of strongly fertilized eggs. 
If possible, it is best to have pens that accommodate about fifteen birds, 
as this will not necessitate putting two males in one pen. When two 
males run together with a number of females, it will cause continual 
fighting between them, and this seriously interferes with the proper 
fertilization of tin It is also liable to cause serious injury to 

one of the males from their fighting, and the fellow who comes off 
second best will be continually "nagged" by his superior, rendering 
him almost useless. More fertile eggs will be had from a dozen hens 
with one male than with twenty hens that have two male birds in the 
same pen with them. 

50 



It is decidedly advantageous in the matter of getting fertile eggs 
to change the male birds from one pen to another occasionally. After 
a male has been running with a number of hens for an indefinite 
period, he will select a few "favorites" and will pay attention to tin 
neglecting the others to a more or less extent. By changing the males 
from one pen to another frequently, this trouble will be obvi 
large extent, resulting in eggs that will be better fertilized. 

The number of hens that can be put with one male to get thi 
results will depend on the breed and on the "quality" of the male 
bird. Grouping all the heavy birds together, it might be safe to 
that ten or twelve females to one male should giv ictory re- 

sults. In the case of the lighter breeds, which a IK 'more 

active, as many as fifteen or sixteen females with one male will not 
be too many. If the male birds are changed from pen to p 
sionally, and taken apart from the hens once in a wh le and kept in 
seclusion for a week or so, and if they are particularly active, om 
two more hens than given in the above L fely put 

into the breeding pen. 'The proof of the pudding is in the eating," 
and the results of the frrsl or second hatches will be the best guidi 
judge_ whether there are too many female birds in the pen. - 
male is inactn e. 

The feed that the breeders get will also govern the fertility and 
hatchability ui the eggs. While no forcing food should be fed the 
breeders, they need some meat food and quantity of bone. 

The best way to t\x-<\ these two things is to give the birds a liberal 
supply ol commercial beef scraps. This usually contains sufficient 
ground bone, and if this food is kept before the birds continually 
wnl consume only what they need. Beef scraps should nol be fed 
spasmodically, however, as this will upset the digesl I the 

birds. Bulb food (mash or bran) should be before the bn 
all times. Plenty of succulent green food should be given the hens. 
'Mils can be easily fed by giving plenty of lawn clip i in such 

ways as steaming alfalfa, by growing (sprouting) feeding 

cabbages, beets, and so forth. 

The scratching, food should be fed in d, if fertile 

are to be had. A lack of sufficient exercise lore infertility and 

poor hatchability in eggs than inattentive males. The more e 
hen gets the more eggs— fertile eggs— she will lav. Eight in 
chaff or straw or litter of any kind is none to,, much in which to 
throw the scratching grain. 

A little care in choosing the birds for the breedit md in 

caring for them, with especial attention to the matter of keeping tl 
birds healthy by feeding them properly, will give surprising result 
a maximum yield of fertile eggs that will hatch 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HOW TO INSURE AND ASSIST AN EARLY MOLT. 

A yearling hen and a young pullet are alike in one respect: if they 
do not start laying before real cold weather sets in they will I 
few eggs during the winter. Hence, it is of the utmost importance, in 
getting a large winter egg yield, to yet the hens to start molting 
EARLY, and to have them practically through the molt with a new sec 
of feathers grown before the first of November. 

51 



The length of the molting period varies with individual birds. 
The time different birds, even in the same flock, will start to shed 
their feathers also varies greatly. Usually hens will take anywhere 
from sixty to ninety days to complete the molt. The later the birds 
start molting, ordinarily, the longer it will take them. Sometimes, 
some birds will take as long four months in which to molt, but 

such birds are more the exception than the rule. If left to their own 
devices, some hens will start molting in the latter part of August: but 
it is usually well toward the middle of September before the majority 
of the Hock will begin shedding the old coal of feathers. Averaging 
the first of September as the time the majority of tin hens will start 
the molt, makes it about the first of December before the hens will 
be ready 1m start laying. As the weather has probablj been very cold 
for the previous month or more, the hens will have about all they 
can do tM grow the new coat of feathers during the month of Novem- 
ber, hence cannol spare any energy from this task and that of keep- 
ing their bodies warm, to put toward egg production. This means that 
few, if any, eggs will be received from the flock of yearlings until 
early in the spring. 

To assist the ben in getting an early start in molting is quite 
within ! erage poultry keeper. It is largely a 

matter of judi ding. During the molting period the hen needs 

certain foods that will assist her in loosening the old feathers and in 
i. If the proper food is supplied, the molt can be 
hastened, both in time of starting and in duration. The constitution 
he injured— in fact, it will in all probability be 

ngthened. The molting period is a severe tax on the strength of 

the Inn. It should not be forced during this period, but should be 

ally assisted. Proper food will do this better than anything else. 

It should be the object of all win. desire to gel eggs during the 

winter from their yearling hens to get them started molting by the 

i It will then be completed by or before the 

i] November, Then when cold weather arrives the hen will be 

nergj inward keeping warm and producing eggs. 



The Method. 



During the last two weeks of July (that is, beginning about the 

fifteenth of July ), the quantit) should be gradually lessened. 

in be easily done bj curtailing a small quantity each day of the 

e quantity should be so curtailed that on the first of 

August the bens will be getting about HALF the quantity they had 

d before the fifteenth of July. This applies to both the 

in the litter and to the mash food. Some poultrymet 

during the early molting period. This is a gross 

mistake;. Mens that are molting are undergoing a very great tax on 

tern, and it is utter foolishness to starve anything that in reality 

lourishment. The reason for slightly curtailing the 

feed is simply to loosen the old feathers. When one begins 

curtailing the amount of feed, the amount of sunflower seeds should be 

ilf. All during the molting period, and particularly during 

i hens must be supplied with more green food than 

law must fie forced, by curtailing the grain fed, to 

eat larger quantities of green food than they might otherwise con- 

sume Bj giving them more green food than they will eat each day, 

one will be sure they never have too little. The success of the early 

molt depends largely on the generous supply of green food. 



By the first of August a great many birds should begin to 
that they are starting to molt. This is clearly indicated by the in- 
creasing quantity of feathers on the dropping boards and around the 
pens and yards. Also by the scarcity of feathers on the chickens' 
necks — the place they generally begin shedding the feathers I 

As the hens now need more nourishment, the amount of 
should be gradually increased — a little each day — for the next two 
weeks, until at the end of that time they should be getting the usual 
quantity. As one starts increasing the quantity of food, increase also 
the quantity of sunflower -reds, until at the end of two weeks the 
amount used in the mixture is double the regular quantity. All buck- 
wheat should be omitted from the ration as soon as the birds -tart 
molting. GREEX FOOD IX ABUNDANCE AT ALL TIMES. 

To give an illustration of the method of feeding: If one had a 
flock of eighty (80) yearling hens, he would be feeding them about 
two quarts of grain in the morning and four quarts at night, with 
about three quarts of mash at noon. Beginning the fifteenth of July, 
he would curtail the morning, noun and night feedings a trifli 
day, until on the first of Augusl he would be feeding one qu; 
grain in the morning, one and a half quarts of mash at noon, and 
two quarts ^'f grain at night. In making up the grain mixture at 
this time (August Lst), the amount of sunflower seed- would be three 
pounds to a mixture instead of two, as given in the formula in the 
chapter on "Scientific Feeding for Eggs." One would give more 
laily than the hens could eat. 

Alter the first of Augusl the amount of food would be men 
a trifle each day for the next two weeks, until the fifteenth of August, 
when the quantity would be the same as that fed before the change 
i Jui\ L5th), or two quart- of grain in the morning, three qua 
mash at noon, and four quarts of grain at night — with plenty of green 
food daily. No buckwheat at all during the entire molting period. 

After the fifteenth of August the quantity of sunflower 
should be four pound- to the mixture, instead of two or three pounds. 
This quantity should be so continued throughout the rest of the molt- 
riod. At the same time (about August 15th), put double the 
amount of linseed meal into the mash for laying hens, the rest of the 
mash formula to be the same. The regular method of feeding i 
lowed during the rest oi the molting period, care being taken 
overfeed. 

The reason for the increase of both sunflowei seeds ami lit 
meal is that these are very rich in oil, and aid materially in furnishing 
the hen with sufficient oil to grow a new- coat of feathers nion 
and to improve the '.Joss of the new feathers. 

If one finds that the hens are becoming overfat, and the molting 
hen is much given to standing around, hence will easily take i 
the amount of food given must be cut down until the appetite im- 
proves. One's judgment is the best guide in this matter. Make the 
molting hens work for what they get, but see that they are able to 
get something when they work for it ! 

By following this method of feeding through the first stages of 
the molt, and with proper care in general, the birds should start molt- 
ing early and finish in the shortest possible space of time. Of course, 
the egg yield will suffer somewhat during the early part of tb. 
and one may not like to lose eggs when others about him are getting 
them in fair quantities, but this temporary loss will be mo;, 
equalled by the eggs that will be received during the winter. And it is 
far better \o get eggs from the yearling hens, when eggs are bringing 
top prices, than to get them in summer at lower prices and i> 
pelled to carry the hens over the winter, receiving few, if any, e£ 
offset the high price of grain. 

53 



CHAPTER XVII. 
THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE. 

The cold winter months may briny with them a certain amount of 
trouble for the poultryman. Despite the fact that one may care for 
his fowls in the most conscientious manner, disease may creep into 
the flock from no apparent cause. Under such conditions it is the man 
who is properly prepared to combat illness among his birds that suffers 
the least !■ 

Naturally, if disease comes on through neglect of the poultry 
keeper, he has hut himself to blame. His chances of saving many of 
his fowl- i. rather small. Negled on the 

poultry plant is inexcusable under any circumstances, and always dis- 
astrous in the long run. 

Where disease creeps in from no apparent cause, however, and 

precautions have been taken, there is but one thing 

for the energetic poultryman to do- find the cause mid remove it, at 

the same time doing all in his power to prevent the spreading of the 

through the flock. 

ry poultry keeper should possess a hook treating on poultry 

Tins should lie carefulh d, until one is thoroughly 

ir with the causes and symptom- of the more common diseases 

to which fowls are heir. Then when oni I eems dopey 

around, refusing to eat. he will be able more readily to 

-e the disease. By applying the remedies suggested in the book, 

ivl may then he easily cured. 

rincipal causes of numerous diseases (and one which 
trymen overlook) is low vitality. This may be the result 
r breeding, poor feeding, improper care, etc. Poor vitality is 
underlying reason why some fowls contract dis- 
lien other birds kept under exactly the same conditio! 
tly free from all sickness. 
Unsanitary conditions in and around the coops will breed more 
ase than any ordinary person can hope to combat. Cleanliness 
with chickens is positively as essential as feed and water. Though its 
absence maj not be noted as quickly, its disastrous effects will he 
fully as great. Lice, mites and other vermin that breed in tilth, and 
which sap the health ami strength of the fowls, is only one of the 
troubles that result from a lack of cleanfine 

imp iod, or poor food, will sometimes seriously affect 

the health of one's flock. To feed moldy grain is to positively in- 
sure much trouble and loss. It makes no difference whether this is 
in ignorance or purposely, the resultant harm is the same. 
Nature never makes a mistake, hence never makes any allowance 

,i stakes. 

;e and other local factors have an important hearing em the 
- or health of one's (lock and must be looked after carefully 
at all times. 

To he able to recognize sick fowls at a glance ami to diagnose 
their cases, is an art desired by all poultrymen. Those who are most 
adept in tin- line are indeed fortunate. However, this is within the 
reach of anyone who will give this important phase of the business 
tention it justly deserves. To become proficient in detecting and 
ising disease takes considerable time ami much application. One 
must possess a quick, keen eye that is able to note at once the slight- 
est difference in a fowl's appearance and actions. If this were simply 
noted, however, and no connection made with other slight changes ap- 

54 



pearing in the bird, it would do no good at all. One must be able to 
make a local application of what he has discovered, to the end that 
he may be able to treat the bird in the proper way to get at the ail- 
ment. A process of elimination is one of the easiest methods — i.e., to 
localize the disease as much as possible. Then by taking into consid- 
eration all the symptoms apparent, the real trouble can be ascertained 
and properly treated. 

One thing is positively essential in treating sick fowls, if the 
spread of the disease is to be checked : They must be removed AT 
ONCE from all well fowls and placed by themselves. Herein is one 
of the principal advantages enjoyed by the good diagnostician: he 
immediately discovers and removes any fowls that have the slightest 
symptoms of illness before the disease has any chance to spread. 

To care for sick fowls properly, one must have a "hospital coop" — 
i.e., some place detached and away from all other coops, where ailing 
birds can be quarantined and treated. There are two very important 
requisites to such a coop : warmth and proper ventilation. A sick 
chicken's vitality is far below normal, and it should be kept warm and 
comfortable so that every particle of its energy can be used in com- 
bating the disease. Warmth, however, must be accompanied by proper 
ventilation. Sunshine and fresh air are probably the greatest anti- 
dotes for all diseases. But air must be admitted to the coop in such 
a way that all draughts are entirely eliminated. Muslin permits air to 
enter a coop gently and also allows the impure air inside to escape. 
If the amount of muslin is properly proportioned to the size of the 
coop and glass it contains, and suitably placed, little trouble will be 
had in keeping the air inside the coop both warm and fresh at the 
same time. 

Of course, the best way to prevent loss from disease is to keep 
the birds healthy. It is far better to spend an hour a day doing the 
things that will prevent sickness, than it is to spend three (imes as 
long doctoring sick birds. "An ounce of prevention is worth more 
than tons of cure." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
"FREE" POULTRY FOODS. 

There are two foods for poultry that cost actually nothing in cash, 
yet many poultrymen are less generous with these than with other 
"feed costing $2.50 per 100 pounds. These "free" foods are : Fresh 
water and green grass. 

Water constitutes over 75 per cent, of the bulk of an egg, and 
almost as large a proportion of the chick's body is water. An active 
little chick, running its legs off, needs a large quantity of water to 
replenish this waste, as well as for its rapid growth. Chickens of all 
ages that leave stale or warm water practically untouched, when given 
fresh, cool water, will immediately form a circle around the fountain, 
and as they drink raise their heads in thanksgiving. Give the chickens 
more fresh water and give it more frequently. It costs absolutely 
nothing. The result will be a saving on the grain bills, as well as a 
noticeable increase in the chick's growth and development, and the 
laying qualities of the hens. 

Green grass (lawn clippings) makes an excellent food for chick- 
ens of any and all ages. Frequently the writer has Men chickens leave 
both grain and mash and partake of lawn clippings that were given 

55 



them. If any one doubts a chicken's appetite for green food, let him 
put a flock of chicks in a yard or run entirely covered with grass, and 
then watch i( disappear, not in weeks, but in days. Pretty good proof 
they like it, isn't it? And when the chick's run is entirely cleared, of 
green food, where are they to get a supply from, unless the poultry 
keeper furnishes it? 

An eas} method of obtaining lawn clippings, without the bother 
of raking them up, is to purchase in a hardware store what is known 
as a grass-catcher for a lawn mower. The usual price is about sev- 
enty-five cents. This catcher can be easily and quickly attached to. 
and detached from, the lawn mower, behind the roller. As the blades 
of the mower cut the grass, the clippings fly into the catcher, and 
can he put into a basket and fed to the chickens later. The absence 
of dead and dying urass clippings will also greatly improve the appear- 
ance and life of the lawn. 

Grass is very rich in protein, an element that is an absolute neces- 
sity to the chick's growth, for the maintenance of its body, as well as 
for a largf Id. If this valuable ingredient can be gotten in 

1 tin- cutting, why pay high prices to feed it in grain? Feed 
more of these "free" foods. They furnish invaluable elements that 
will chicks into sturdy, active cockerel'-, and pullets that lay 

golden eg 



[APTER XIX. 
HOW TO GROW SPROUTED OATS. 

Practical poultrymen all agree thai it is quite -impossible n 

uantities if tin 1 hens are not fed a generous supply of 
green food. One of the principal reasons that hens lay mon 

ummer than in winter, aside from the fact that this is 
the natural reproducing time, is because there is a plentiful supply of 
succulent green food available during this period. Hens that are on 
free rat I sufficient green food, will lay a great 

many more eggs than will the same number of hens that are confined 
in a yard which is bare of all grass. 

There an- certain nourishing properties in green food that are 
be found in other food consumed by fowls, and that cannot be 
well supplied in any ether kind of food. Mens that have sufficient 
grain or mash food continually before them will leave all this when 
given some succulent green food. This alone should prove conclusively 
to those who might have any doubts, thai green food is an absolute 
necessity for large i luction, and that hens should be 

liberal supplies of this most necessary fond. 

If properly done, the growing of sprouted oats can be accomplished 
with very little trouble and labor. Tin- principal secret of growing 
oats, if it can he termed a secret, is to know how to water the oats 
properly the first w;eek. if this item is given the attention it deserves, 
the actual care in growing the oats is very small. Those wdio have 
never tried to sprout oats are, in some cast.-., held off by an indefinite 
fear oi ig able to successfullj grow the oats: hut a little actual 

experience will quickly dispel such feelings. 

The method generally used in sprouting oats is as follows: take 
an ordinary pail, either metal or wooden, and fill it with oats to within 
about three or four inches of the top. As the oats swell considerably 
in a short time, if the pail is tilled too near the top either the oats 
will fall out over the top or the water will run out. Into this pailful 

56 



of oats pour in water until it crimes to the top of the oats. When 
this water is being poured into the pail, the oats will rise but can be 
pressed down with the hand. All the oats should be thoroughly wet 
by raising those from the bottom of the pail and pressing those on 
top farther down. The water that is poured on the oats should be 
as warm as one can bear on the hand— it should not be boiling, as this 
would scald the oats and interfere with proper growth. 

The pail of oats should soak for at least twelve, and preferably 
twenty-four, hours. The oats, which are then considerably swollen 
and thoroughl) wet, should be placed in trays that may be of almost 
any size, but that should have sides about three inches high. Place 
the oats in the trays to a depth of two inches, levelled off. There is 
absolutely nothing in the bottom of the tray except the bottom boards 
— no dirt, paper, straw, or other material for the oats to grow on. 
Literally, they grow on themselves,' the roots forming a solid mat 
within a week. Holes should be bored in the bottom of the trays, 
like a sieve, or cracks made, to permit most of the water to run off. 
otherwise the oats will soon sour. 

After the oats are placed in the trays to a depth of about two 
inches, there is little more to do for the ensuing ten days or two 
weeks but to water them. The trays should he placed in a warm cel- 
lar or room where the temperature does not drop much below fifty 
degrees; if warmer, the oats will simply sprout quicker. Thi 
must be thoroughly snaked with water at "least twice every day (morn- 
ing and evening) fur the first week or ten days and thereafter once 
a day. If one desire^ a rapid growth, the oats may be placed in a 
warm room (of about seventy degrees temperature), and watered three 
times daily fur the first week or so, but this is necessary only when 
there is a special hurry in which to get the oats sprouted. 

The water with which the oats are wet daily should he lukewarm 
or about the temperature that is comfortable for one to place the 
hand in. It is easiest to apply the water from an ordinary garden 
sprinkling can. The surplus water can run off through the holes in the 
bottom of the trays. If the trays are placed ah nother, the 

surplus water will run down from one tray to the next, thus giving 
the lower trays the advantage of a double wetting. On the fourth 
day, and also on the seventh and tenth days, once each d 
of putting on warm water, use cool water as it runs from the faucet. 
This change from warm to cold water seems to give the oats new life, 
and a rapid growth will he noted almost immediately after. Proper 
watering of the oats will aid materially a rapid growth. 

When the oats are about four or five days old, small spr 
to appear, and these grow noticeably daily. At the end 
these sprouts are about two or three inches long, and in two 
may lie as much as seven or nine inches long. Instead of permitting 
the sprouts or blades of grass (as they resemble grass blades very 
much) to grow to this length, the tops should be cut when aboul four 
high. An ordinary pair of grass shears will cut the sprouts 
easily and quickly. The undergrowth will then sprout out again, and 
sometimes as many as three clippings can be had before the remaining 
oats and sprouts are fed to the chickens. ■ If it is desired to have a 
green color to the sprouts (when they are grown in the dim light of 
a cellar the sprouts will usually be light yellow in color), this may be 
obtained by placing the oat trays in the sunlight or near a window 
for a day or so. After the oats have been clipped two or three times 
they can be fed by cutting out chunks of the sprouts, roots and all, 
and given in this way to the hens, or the entire tray may be placed in 

>p. The latter method is preferable, as the hens relish picking 

and scratching in the tray, and they will eat practically all of the 
contents. 

57 



A frame to hold a number of trays can be made by almost any 
one and with but little labor. Four pieces of two-inch by four-inch 
lumber are the uprights used for the corners, and cross cleats, one 
inch by two inches, both hold these four corner pieces together and 
form the places on which the trays slide in and out when the oats 
are being watered. These cross cleats should be about eight inches 
apart, to afford sufficient room for the sprouts to grow up. The 
easiest tray to handle is about one foot wide and two feet long, the 
sides, of course, being about three inches high. An ordinary sixteen- 
quart pail, when about three quarters full of oats, after soaking for 
twenty-four hours will fill a section of six trays of the above dimen- 
sions. One tray will give sufficient cut sprouts for about twenty-five 
or thirty hens, and if there are seven of these trays a succession of 
croppings can lie had each day that will permit the first tray to be in 
shape for a second cutting at the end of a week. By having three or 
four sections a large number of fowls can be given plenty of sprouted 
oats. The labor of growing the oats will be decidely small when com- 
pared with the marked increase in the egg production. Sufficient suc- 
culent green food given the hens during the winter produces eggs at 
the time when eggs mean monev. 



CHAPTER XX. 

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT. 

Beginners should not be discouraged when they find they are not 
getting many eggs, or when the number received is seemingly small. 
It is true it is not very pleasant to read of big egg receipts by Mime 
when one is getting but few, but remember that there are many cir- 
cumstances that account for this. If, as in most cases, it is the big 
breeder who is doing so well, remember he has spent years in patient 
care to breed a strain and flock to this point. With his fund of prac- 
tical experience behind him, naturally he can obtain results quite be- 
yond the power of the beginner to reproduce. The older poultryman 
has studied his fowls for a long time until he has been able to find 
out just what they need, and can feed the foods that will produce a 
maximum number of eggs, and still keep the hens' vitality intact. 
Don't expect to duplicate such results at the beginning. They can 
and will be achieved in due time. 

The keeping of a diary is an excellent accessory to a good sys- 
tem. There is a great deal of satisfaction in occasionally going over 
the work of the previous year, as briefly recorded in a diary, to have 
the mistakes and errors that have been made brought vividly before 
one's mind — not to he repeated. The joys and pleasures one has ex- 
perienced may also be lived over again and again — this alone repays 
one for the few minutes spent each day in making entries. Then 
again, when everything appears to he going wrong, despite the very 
best one can do, and when it seems as if one never before could have 
had greater discouragements, to pick up the diary and read of other 
heavier trials and disappointments one has lived through and ovrcome, 
will put new vim into erne, and one can tackle the present problems 
with renewed vigor and zeal and turn the tide toward success. 

There is one, and only one, stimulant the writer advocates, and 
that he recommends most highly. It is not for the hen; it is "stick-to- 
itiveness" for the poultryman. Sounds rather sticky, but that's just 
what it means. It's a sort of "ginger" that keeps the poultryman's 
interest excited when it might otherwise flag. It produces maximum 
results, and, best of all, it permits no reaction. 

5S 



If at times things on the poultry plant do not go as smoothly as 
one might wish, remember everyone in the poultry business has gone 
through the same troubles, not only once, but many times. Give your- 
self the encouragement that is always to be derived from intense en- 
thusiasm. Say to yourself: "Some have failed, but many others have 
succeeded, so it is possible— I WILL SUCCEED, TOO!" That's the 
spirit. Then buckle to with double the energy and enthusiasm dis- 
played before; profit by your mistakes; learn all you can from every 
available source; fight manfully on, and it will not be long before 
people will point you out as a man who SUCCEEDED with poultry. 



"If the day looks kind o' gloomy 

An' your chances rather slim. 
If the situation's puzzlin' 

An' the prospect's awful grim, 
An' perplexities keep pressin' 

Till all hope is nearly gone — 
Just bristle up an' grit your teeth, 

An' keep on keepin' on." 




59 



Perkins' Profitable Poultry 

SINGLE COMB 
WHITE LEGHORNS 

Exhibition and Utility Strains 



Breeding 
Stock 

Hatching 
Eggs 

Day Old 
Chicks 



OUR birds are housed right, bred 
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quality of stock is there. This en- 
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90i% fertility and 76'r hatchability 
in the month of February ! Our day 
old chicks are the kind that live and 
thrive. 

When starting in the poultry busi- 
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When introducing new blood into 
the flock, procure only that of proven 
merit. Our birds are vigorous and 
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Our hens are good layers of large, 
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Results Prove the Quality of Our Stock 



Prices Reasonable 



Send for Free Catalogue 



PERKINS POULTRY PLACE 

C. N. PERKINS, Propr. 

MIDLAND PARK NEW JERSEY 

60 



MAR 19 1913 



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NEW YORK 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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